Valtteri Bottas makes his feelings known about being a mentor to Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes

Valtteri Bottas feels that he would have the role of a mentor to Kimi Antonelli as he makes his return to Mercedes. The Finn was a part of the German team from 2017 to 2021, where he was a teammate to Lewis Hamilton. During this time, the driver played a crucial role in helping the team secure championships.

In 2021, when he was replaced by George Russell at Mercedes, he made a move to join the Fred Vasseur-led Alfa Romeo for 2022. After spending 3 seasons with the team, Valtteri Bottas is now back at the German team, but this time around he has the role of a reserve driver.

The driver would be the supporting cast to both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli within the team and would be an extra pair of eyes in case anything is missed. The Mercedes driver lineup has the young rookie as well, and Valtteri Bottas acknowledged that he would be playing the role of a mentor to the Italian as well. He said,

"I think ‘mentor’ is not too far off. When you’re a rookie, when you join the sport, there’s so many new things you’ve got to learn. I definitely can help with that. My job is to try and help the team the best I can. And of course, Kimi is a rookie, so he probably will have more questions than George [Russell]."

He added:

"The team will have just an extra pair of eyes during the race week and looking at the data, looking at the driving line, stuff like that. I’ll be involved in all the meetings, technical stuff and can help a lot in the simulator, things like that. So it’s going to be a busier, different one for me. But yeah, looking forward.

Bottas had a disappointing 2024 season as he finished 22nd in the standings without a single point. The 35-year-old did not have a single top-10 finish during the past year, with his best being coming 11th at the Qatar Grand Prix, which took place at the Lusail International Circuit.

Valtteri Bottas on his F1 future

When questioned about his own future, Valtteri Bottas admitted that he would need to be a bit dynamic in the driver market. There is a possibility that Bottas could be in contention for a seat at Cadillac, especially since the American team could be looking at someone with a decent amount of experience.

Talking about his F1 future, Bottas said,

“I think we both know, me and the team, that there needs to be some kind of…we’re going to be dynamic. So, of course, at the moment, I’m fully committed to the year, giving everything I have for the team and trying to help the best I can. But if there’s an opportunity to race, I doubt the team would stay in between that. Let’s see. Let’s take it first race by race. Let the season start and then we see what the year brings and also what ‘26 brings.”

Bottas helping Kimi Antonneli is probably a good thing for the young Italian because in this manner there would be an experienced head guiding him when things go wrong, something that could happen in a rookie season.