Mick Schumacher is leaving his role as Mercedes’ reserve driver at the end of the 2024 Formula One season and Valtteri Bottas confirmed Thursday that he is in talks about the position.

Valtteri Bottas says he is nearing an agreement to return to Mercedes as its reserve driver next year after Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, announced he was leaving.

Mercedes reserve Mick Schumacher will leave the Formula One team at the end of the season while Valtteri Bottas looks set to replace the German after deciding against making a full-time switch to IndyCar in 2025.

Mick Schumacher is leaving the Mercedes Formula 1 team to “pursue new opportunities,” according to an announcement released by the team ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. Schumacher spent two years in that role, after being released by Haas after spending two years as a full-time driver for the team.

Valtteri Bottas will compete at next year’s Race of Champions as he eyes new racing opportunities after missing out on an F1 seat for next year. Bottas, who has been an ever-present on the F1 grid since 2013, has been dropped by Sauber for 2025 with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto replacing the Finn and Zhou Guanyu.

Mick Schumacher will leave his role of Mercedes Formula One reserve driver at the end of the season to pursue opportunities elsewhere, the team said on Thursday. The 25-year-old son of seven-times world champion Michael has been reserve for the past two years since losing his seat at Haas.

Valtteri Bottas said there is “still a bit of work to do” in regards to a Mercedes contract as he moves closer to a reserved driver role. The announcement that Mick Schumacher would be leaving the team at the end of the season opened the door for Bottas to return to his former team but a deal is not signed just yet.