Speaking to Sky Sports F1 in Belgium, Wolff praised Bottas’ ongoing value to Mercedes and hinted that the experienced driver is ready to return to a race seat if the right opportunity arises.

“My opinion is he deserves a drive. I think we have the best third driver and reserve that you can imagine. If some of our guys eats a bad fish, I know Valtteri is going to be on the pace.”

While losing Bottas as a reserve would be a blow to Mercedes, Wolff welcomed the prospect of him securing a full-time seat elsewhere next year.

“So losing the best third and reserve, but he managed to have a full time drive, and I’m happy with him if he were to achieve that.”

Wolff also highlighted Bottas’ crucial mentoring role within the team, particularly in guiding rookie Kimi Antonelli.

“His mentoring of Kimi really astonishing,” he said. “How Kimi takes it on board and Valtteri does it in a right way.

“You can see him upstairs looking at the overlays and giving Kimi driving line tips based on the onboards from the other drivers.”

Rumours continue to link the 10-time Grand Prix winner to a full-time seat with Cadillac as the General Motors-backed team prepares to enter F1 in 2026.

Cadillac’s motorsport director, Graeme Towriss, confirmed at the British Grand Prix that Bottas is a leading candidate for one of their two race seats, highlighting his talent and experience as vital for the new team.

At the same time, Bottas has been linked to Alpine amid speculation he could replace Franco Colapinto. Wolff confirmed earlier this month that he has discussed Bottas’ potential move to the French team with Flavio Briatore.

The Finnish driver has also been linked to Alpine amid speculation he could replace Franco Colapinto, with Wolff confirming earlier this month that he discussed Bottas’ potential move to the French team with Flavio Briatore.

“I saw him [Briatore] today and we talked about Valtteri,” Wolff said at the British Grand Prix. “It seems that the interest in Valtteri is increasing even more.”

Bottas himself has been vocal about his desire to return to a full-time race seat, telling the Beyond the Grid podcast earlier this year, “I definitely still feel… I’m not done yet with F1… I still have more to give.”