Bottas reveals IndyCar switch offer as Indy 500 piques interest

Valtteri Bottas has revealed he turned down an offer to drive in IndyCar full-time next season but insisted he is open to tackling the Indianapolis 500 – though his primary focus remains on Formula 1.

The 35-year-old will leave Sauber at the end of 2024 and is expected to replace Mick Schumacher as reserve driver for his former squad Mercedes.

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That is with an eye to a return to the grid in 2026 for the new era of F1 racing, as regulation changes are enforced while Cadillac’s recently-announced entry boosts the number of seats available.

With focus on keeping his F1 career alive, Bottas has decided not to look elsewhere for a full-time racing programme next year, and speaking ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, he explained: “It’s a conscious decision, I think it just comes too quick.

“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.

“So yeah, I’d rather take just a bit of time to figure out what’s next and go from there.”

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Asked if he had any approaches for an IndyCar switch, Bottas replied: “Yes, I’ve had talks and approaches at this point. I’ve made it pretty clear that next year comes a bit too quick.

“2026 is still a chance to drop [in] the good car. My priority still stays Formula 1. If it’s not to be Formula 1 in 2026, then it’s really interesting for me for the future.”

Although Bottas has turned his back on a full-time drive in 2025, there is still the chance he could compete in one-off events, beginning with his confirmed appearance at the Race of Champions.

“First of all it depends if I’m going to be around here at every grand prix or not,” he said. “If yes then obviously the options are a little bit less limited.

“I mean, Indy 500 has always been on the list, I’ve been always a fan of V8 Supercars and all these kinds of things. So at the moment, I’m still pretty open and I just need to… first I need to decide actually what is the next move and then we’ll see.

“I’ve not been allowed to do any rallying in the last two years. So it would be nice to get back into it a little bit, have some fun.”

On whether he was given an Indy 500-only offer from an IndyCar outfit, Bottas replied: “Not yet. I did get a solid offer for ’25 full season, but Indy 500 only, we haven’t really gone into details, but like I said, first I need to fix what is the actual day job for ’25 and go from there.”