Valtteri Bottas is set to leave his role as the Mercedes reserve driver at the end of the season as he makes a move to the Cadillac Formula 1 team in 2026.

Bottas, having previously raced for Mercedes from 2017 to 2021, returned to the Brackley outfit in 2024 after losing his seat at Sauber . The Finnish driver has become a fan favourite for his fun and sarcastic humour, and this has continued through to the final F1 Explains video he has done for Mercedes.

"Hi everyone, this is leaving an F1 team explained," he said to the camera as he pretended to wipe away tears from his eyes, "by Valtteri Bottas."

"In F1, leaving an F1 team obviously will happen eventually. It's quite sad. I've done it a few times in my career. It's not easy. But, if you think positively, in the end, there's

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