The popular Finn is back on the F1 grid this season after a year on the sidelines as Mercedes’s reserve driver
Valtteri Bottas spoke of his enjoyment at being behind Cadillac’s debut F1 car but admitted aspects of the machinery still need “de-bugging” as 2026 pre-season testing got underway on Monday.
A private shakedown test for 10 teams – with Williams not ready to participate – is being held in Barcelona this week, with fans and media not permitted inside the circuit.
Seven teams took to the track on Monday including Cadillac, F1’s first new team since Haas 10 years ago, with the American team boasting an experienced driver line-up for their first year in the sport: Bottas and Sergio Perez.
Bottas, who spent last year on the sidelines as Mercedes’s reserve driver, revealed there are inevitably areas for improvement after driving the Cadillac car this morning.
“It’s great to be back!” Bottas said. “Also, with this brand-new team in the sport, it’s a really unique situation. Really enjoyed getting back on track. This was the first time I drove this car, so it was just good to be out there.
"Obviously performance-wise, I wouldn’t say much yet but the main thing is we got some running done and, at the end, we got a little bit of a longer run in too.
"So these are the first steps of de-bugging and getting everything to work better."
Cadillac will reveal their first-ever F1 car livery in unique fashion, airing an advertisement during Super Bowl 60 on Sunday, 8 February.
This week’s event in Barcelona is one of three pre-season tests, with a pair of three-day sessions taking place in Bahrain (11-13 February and 18-20 February). Only the final test will be aired on television.
The 2026 season, with 11 teams on the grid for the first time in a decade, starts with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on 8 March.
Category: General Sports
