Valtteri Bottas notes key change at Mercedes since Lewis Hamilton’s departure

Valtteri Bottas has highlighted the notable difference at Mercedes since Lewis Hamilton’s exit, describing the F1 team as “a bit more chilled”.

Hamilton shocked the sporting world by calling time on his Mercedes career.

The seven-time world champion decided to join Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season, which is likely his final career move before retiring.

Hamilton spent 12 years at Mercedes, winning six of his seven titles with them.

During this time, Bottas was Hamilton’s teammate for five seasons.

The Hamilton-Bottas combination remained unbeaten in the F1 constructors’ standings between 2017 and 2021 despite threats from Ferrari and Red Bull at various points.

Mercedes opted to promote Kimi Antonelli from their academy as Hamilton’s replacement, while George Russell has stepped up as team leader.

Bottas, who returned to Mercedes as their test and reserve driver after failing to land the Sauber drive for this year, identified what has stayed the same and what has changed since coming back.

“Yes and no. In the end, the spirit is still the same,” he said on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

“The winning mentality is still there; everyone is still working as hard as they can, trying to solve issues and get better. That hasn’t changed at all.

“Otherwise, losing a big figure such as Lewis, I think, has made some kind of difference. It’s hard to describe the feeling, but I think there has been some excitement over young Kimi and George being the more senior driver. Maybe it’s a bit more chilled in a way.”

Will Bottas make a return in 2026?

Bottas remains hopeful that he can return to the F1 grid in 2026.

Sauber overlooked the Finn as they signed Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.

Bottas’ main option appears to be Cadillac, while Alpine and Red Bull will also likely need to sign a second driver.

Cadillac are joining the grid in 2026 as F1’s 11th team, but they haven’t decided their driver line-up yet.

They have a host of options, such as Bottas, Sergio Perez and Zhou Guanyu.

Mick Schumacher has also been linked, while they could turn to an American driver such as Colton Herta.