This paper introduces a novel gas foil bearing with a slotted bump foil structure to overcome the limitations of low load capacity and high starting torque. The structural stiffness of this bearing is designed by redistributing friction forces to homogenize the film thickness. A fully coupled algorithm is then developed that accounts for frictional contact and the complex geometry of the structure. The deflections of the top foil and bump foil are calculated using plate and shell elements, respectively. Meanwhile, a line-to-surface contact model is adopted for contact analysis, and the contact stiffness matrix is derived from contact pressure to constrain the entire element, providing a more accurate representation of the actual contact state. Furthermore, the static characteristics of the bearing are analyzed, demonstrating that the slotted bump foil structure significantly enhances load capacity and anti-overturning ability without a substantial increase in the nominal eccentricity ratio. Subsequently, the proposed structure is experimentally compared with first-generation bump foil bearings, and the results indicate that the slotted bump foil bearings exhibit a lower take-off speed and reduced bump foil temperature rise.