When one door closes, another opens. But some may get picky about choosing a new door. The same can be said about Valtteri Bottas, the Finnish F1 racing phenomenon who is currently out of a ride for 2025. Audi, the team taking over Sauber, announced that Formula 2 leader Gabriel Bortoleto will join forces with Nico Hulkenberg for next season. That left both Bottas and Zhou Guanyu without a seat for next season.

However, Bottas receive the opportunity to wheel V8 Supercars on the other side of the world. IndyCar is the American open-wheel racing experience, like F1. And with a new F1-IndyCar crossover on the books for 2025, Bottas got a crossover option of his own. Yet the F1 ace chose to turn it down.

Priorities are fixed for F1 star

Valtteri Bottas got off to a slow start when he debuted in 2013. In 2018, he experienced a squalid season while driving for the Silver Arrows. However, he entered a fiery streak of glory in 2017 that continued till 2021. Driving for Mercedes, he won 10 races and helped the team to secure five consecutive constructors’ championships. Besides his victories, he owns 67 podiums and 20 pole positions. And the F1 star is not satiated – despite lacking a ride with Sauber for the 2025 season, he looks forward to more achievements.

That is why when an offer to drive IndyCar full-time next season came, Bottas preferred to look the other way. Bottas candidly confessed that his F1 journey is not over yet. He justified his reason for turning down the IndyCar offer by pointing at adaptability. “Let’s say, for example, jumping into a full IndyCar season after 12 years of F1, I just feel like it comes a bit too quick because it’s a lot of hard work and a lot of familiarisation to be done and all these things.” Then Valtteri Bottas clarified that his priorities remain intact, as he has further to achieve in his home series. “2026 is still a chance to drop [in] the good car.” He added a 6-word verdict: “My priority still stays Formula 1.”

For Valtteri Bottas, joining an IndyCar team may not be the worst idea. Jimmy Clark, Michael Andretti, and Romain Grosjean all made the switch at one point in their careers. It’s the chance for Bottas to find a stable racing seat until a better option comes calling. IndyCar also features a similar style of racing, with high downforce open-wheel racing. The only downside, as Bottas explained, would be getting used to the sport. Instead, if he works in a non-driving role for an F1 team for the 2025 season, he has a better chance of returning in 2026.

Additionally, Mick Schumacher is set to leave his position as Mercedes’ reserve driver at the end of the season. So another door has opened for Bottas to potentially return to the team for which he won 10 races. But maybe it will not be in a full-time racing role. “Obviously really honored that [Toto Wolff] would be willing to take me back to the Mercedes family which is great,” Bottas said ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.

“It’s a really solid option for me for the future. Of course, there’s still many details we’ve got to discuss, like how much I would actually get to drive because I want to drive, whether it’s about testing and stuff like that.” At the moment, it looks like Antonelli’s contract runs till the end of 2025, and his future on the team will be determined by his performance. If Bottas manages to get the reserve driver role at the team, he still has a shot of bringing the #44 car back.

For his next move, Bottas is eyeing other car brands in F1, although the chances look slim.

Strides within his series

Bottas is exploring all available options before making a decision. Yet interestingly, only Red Bull has the only officially unconfirmed seat. Concerns around Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull have occupied much of the season. While his teammate Max Verstappen secured his 4th career title, he struggled to adapt to changes. So Perez’s vacancy may usher in a new opportunity for Bottas.

In all reality, even if Bottas wants the seat, it’s highly unlikely that the seat will be available. Perez has a contract that sees him in the seat for 2025. Moreover, even if Red Bull did force him out of the team, they would give priority to one of their academy drivers. Either Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda would take up the spot in that spot.

With Andretti Global and General Motors joining hands with F1 for 2025, an offer may await Bottas in case he changes his mind. Being one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, Bottas is already on the radar of GM-Cadillac, the new F1 entrant in partnership with Andretti Global. If given the opportunity, the Finnish driver isn’t one to deny himself the chance to continue racing in the sport. On being asked about the possibility of the move, he replied with an ecstatic, “Yes, I might!”

Valtteri Bottas is focusing only on F1 at present. Although IndyCar prospects look particularly strong for him, we may not see the F1 star in the American series for the next two seasons.