How Carlos Sainz denied Valtteri Bottas an F1 2025 seat

Heading into the F1 2025 season, it was clear that there would be far more drivers vying for race seats than there would be seats available. Valtteri Bottas was one driver who failed to grab a ride, but he’s recently revealed that he “had the contract” at Williams… until Carlos Sainz came along.

Sainz was one of the final pieces in the F1 2025 puzzle, leaving the Finnish driver without an active seat, but with the ability to sign with Cadillac F1 heading into the 2026 season.

Valtteri Bottas “had the contract” until Carlos Sainz came along

A month before the F1 2024 season got to a start, silly season for 2025 began when Lewis Hamilton dropped the bombshell that he would be leaving Mercedes and joining Scuderia Ferrari, unseating Carlos Sainz Jr. From that point on, it was a mad rush to determine where the rest of the field would end up following that major tipping of a domino.

Sainz ultimately became one of the key players during that period of instability, speaking with multiple teams before ultimately committing to Williams for 2025 and beyond.

But he wasn’t the only driver courting the team from Grove. Valtteri Bottas — whose contract with Sauber was coming to an end at the conclusion of 2024 — was involved in significant conversations with team principal James Vowles.

Speaking with Motorsport Week during the US Grand Prix weekend, Valtteri Bottas revealed that he had very nearly inked a deal with Williams, only for the seat to ultimately go to Spanish racer Carlos Sainz.

“I like working with him [Vowles] and I was actually, yeah, pretty close to signing with them for this year,” Bottas told Motorsport Week.

“Yeah, last year we had the contract already, so it was pretty close.”

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When asked why he didn’t end up in a seat, Bottas simply stated, “Carlos Sainz happened. So, yeah, that’s F1.”

The Finnish driver had clearly identified something special in the Williams team, which sits comfortably in fifth overall in the constructors’ standings this season, and he was highly complimentary of the outfit while speaking to Motorsport Week.

“Yeah, I think they’re definitely getting on the right track,” he said. “[Williams] made progress.

“Still a bit variable weekend to weekend, but if you look at where they were a few years ago, they’ve done a great job.

“I think backing now, they are behind [a] good investment group, and also James has brought so much knowledge from Mercedes, so he’s done really well.”

Without an active race seat available for 2025, Bottas instead made a return to his previous Mercedes F1 outfit, where he’s currently serving as a reserve driver. It also meant that he was available to enter negotiations with incoming American outfit Cadillac, with whom he’s signed a deal for 2026.

There will be many variables heading into 2026, both due to Cadillac’s status as a brand-new team as well as thanks to the sweeping regulatory changes accompanying the changing of the season. F1 machines will be lighter, smaller, and more agile due to transformations in both chassis and aerodynamics, while new power unit regulations will see a greater proportion of power coming from electrification rather than the internal combustion engine.

If Sainz has been an asset for Williams as part of the historic team’s effort to transform its F1 fortunes, then Bottas will likely be an asset for Cadillac as the team makes its first foray into international open-wheel racing.

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