Formula 1 News: Sauber/Audi not expected to retain Bottas (Update)

(GMM) Finnish Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas admits he could be left out of Sauber’s plans for its works future with Audi.

After his race winning days as Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate ended, the Finn switched to the Hinwil-based team that has since transitioned to its Alfa Romeo and now Stake-Kick identities.

Sauber, however, has now been 100 percent acquired by Audi ahead of its full works transformation for 2026 and beyond – and Bottas is yet to be taken under contract even for next year.

“I think there will be opportunities,” he said at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, “but at the moment my priority is the Audi project. Getting in there for the long-term.”

Bottas is already 34, and increasingly struggling to stand out in comparison to his decade-younger Chinese teammate Guanyu Zhou, as a logjam of even younger hopefuls impatiently wait on Formula 1’s sidelines.

Has Bottas contemplated the end of his F1 career yet?

“I don’t have a specific number, in terms of years, because I don’t see my time in F1 ending any time soon. I am 34, Fernando Alonso is 65,” he joked, “so he is a pretty good reference that you can keep performing.”

He admits that racing towards the back of the grid, having won 10 grands prix with Mercedes, has often been difficult.

“I really want to carry on, and I really want to get closer to the top fighting for proper results again,” said Bottas.

“I think it’s always interesting when you have a big manufacturer like that (Audi) entering the sport, but if for some reason there isn’t an opportunity for me, and I think there is, then the driver market is quite wide open for next year.”

(GMM) 2024 could be Valtteri Bottas’ last season in Formula 1, according to Finnish journalist Ismo Uusitupa as Audi has other plans.

When news broke that his former Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton would switch to Ferrari in 2025, Bottas teasingly posted on X a photo of himself sitting at a table with his phone in front of him.

He also hinted on social media that he recently visited Brackley – Mercedes’ headquarters.

The 34-year-old now races for Sauber – to be called Stake F1 Team this year following Alfa Romeo’s departure. But Uusitupa, writing in Ilta Sanomat newspaper, thinks Bottas could actually be left without a seat at all in 2025.

That is because 2025 Ferrari refugee Carlos Sainz is closely linked with a move to Audi – the VW-owned carmaker that is taking over Sauber for 2026.

“Bottas’ chances to continue with Sauber are beginning to look slim,” the F1 correspondent wrote.

“In theory, the other place (at Sauber-Audi) could be available. But if Sauber continues with the same system as several other lower level teams, Bottas will be left behind,” Uusitupa explained.

“Sauber is now in the situation where Bottas is the hired driver and Zhou Guanyu is there with Chinese money. So if Sainz becomes the hired driver, the question is what kind of driver will the other one be?”

Bottas may therefore need to seek a new team for 2025, but Uusitupa said: “That’s possible, but it may be difficult.

“In any case, Bottas has a big season ahead of him.”