{"id":37149,"date":"2025-08-29T07:26:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T11:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=37149"},"modified":"2025-08-29T07:29:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T11:29:14","slug":"the-skys-the-limit-valtteri-bottas-embraces-fresh-start-with-cadillac-in-f1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/08\/29\/the-skys-the-limit-valtteri-bottas-embraces-fresh-start-with-cadillac-in-f1\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Sky\u2019s the Limit’: Valtteri Bottas Embraces Fresh Start With Cadillac in F1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ahead of F1’s return from the summer break, Cadillac have finally announced their driver line-up for their 2026 debut – Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez<\/a>. Both are excited for this new chapter, and Bottas spoke on the move in a recent F1 Nation<\/em> podcast.<\/p>\n

Valtteri Bottas Confident About F1 Return With Cadillac<\/h2>\n

Valtteri Bottas<\/a> says joining Cadillac’s new Formula 1<\/a> project has given him the same buzz he felt when he first arrived on the grid more than a decade ago.<\/p>\n

The Finn has signed to lead the American brand as they prepare to make their debut in 2026, and he believes the team has the potential to establish themselves as a long-term force in the sport.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Daily Life In Edmonton EDMONTON, CANADA MARCH 22: A Cadillac logo displayed on a vehicle outside a Cadillac dealership in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on March 22, 2025. Edmonton Canada PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xArturxWidakx originalFilename: widak-dailylif250322_npOoH.jpg
Credit: IMAGO \/ NurPhoto
Recording Date: 22.03.2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

‘I Feel Like a Kid’<\/h3>\n

Speaking in a bonus episode of the F1 Nation<\/em> podcast, Bottas admitted that the reality of his return only just hit him. “I signed a while ago but for me, once we had the announcement in New York, that’s really when it hit me,” he explained.<\/p>\n

“It’s almost the same feeling as when I started, like I’m an F1 driver again, so it feels great. I feel like a kid.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He also added that Cadillac\u2019s project offers him the chance to help build something from the ground up. For a driver with 12 full seasons, 10 race wins, and experience at Williams, Mercedes<\/a> and Alfa Romeo, that challenge seems to have reignited his passion.<\/p>\n

Still, Bottas is careful not to set unrealistic targets. For him, success in the opening season is not about podiums or wins but about laying foundations.<\/p>\n

He has set himself simple goals: be on the grid for the first race, finish strongly, and then grow step by step. In his view, progress will be measured by stability and steady development, rather than instant results.<\/p>\n

The 35-year-old is also keen to use his knowledge to guide Cadillac through the tricky early years. He has seen what works in F1<\/a> and what does not, and he knows that experience could prove as valuable as pure speed.<\/p>\n

Mercedes Willing To Be Flexible<\/h3>\n

At the same time, Bottas remains contracted to Mercedes<\/a> as a reserve driver until the end of 2025. But team boss Toto Wolff<\/a> has already given his blessing for him to begin working with Cadillac ahead of their debut.<\/p>\n

That means Bottas will continue supporting Mercedes when required while slowly shifting his focus towards his future team, and he has faith in them:<\/p>\n

“The sky’s the limit for the team…They’re serious. They’re not here to finish last. And that is really encouraging and good to see.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The move represents more than just a new seat. For Bottas, it is a chance to be part of history, driving for a manufacturer determined to make its mark in Formula 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credit: IMAGO \/\u00a0Jan Huebner<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recording Date: 28.08.2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ahead of F1’s return from the summer break, Cadillac have finally announced their driver line-up for their 2026 debut – Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. Both are excited for this new chapter, and Bottas spoke on the move in a recent F1 Nation podcast. Valtteri Bottas Confident About F1 Return With Cadillac Valtteri Bottas says […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4727,"featured_media":37150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[853,1986,2519,121],"class_list":["post-37149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-1","tag-bottas","tag-cadillac","tag-cadillac-f1","tag-mercedes"],"modified_by":"Nicole Powell","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4727"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37149"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37155,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37149\/revisions\/37155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}