Valtteri Bottas was one of the drivers waiting for Carlos Sainz to decide on his 2025 seat. Now that the latter has declared for Williams, Bottas believes that his future too, will be finalized after the end of the ongoing summer break.
Bottas joined Sauber (then Alfa Romeo) in 2022 on a multi-year deal that runs out in four months. Explaining what he would do during the summer break about his expiring contract, the Finnish driver said, “First thing I’ll do is I’ll be testing here on Tuesday.
“So that’s the beginning of the break, and then I’ll decide,” he added. “Yeah, hopefully, we’ll have some news about my job, and then we go from there.”
Valtteri Bottas’ only chance of staying on the F1 grid next season is a contract renewal with Sauber.
After Haas announced their driver lineup, and Doohan looks almost certain to join Alpine, there’s only really Sauber left. pic.twitter.com/1AASpkPaVw
— Racing.News (@RacingNews__) August 5, 2024
At the same time, Bottas knows that everything won’t be in his hands. In fact, he has just two realistic seats available to choose from, that is if the teams decide on bringing him on board.
Sauber could choose to retain Bottas after losing out on Sainz to Williams. On the other hand, there is Alpine. But the Enstone-based team is reportedly eyeing their development driver Jack Doohan for the role.
Bottas Arguably the Best Option for Sauber/Audi
Nico Hulkenberg will drive for Sauber from 2025 onwards, as the team heads towards an Audi takeover the following year. But the German giants want another star, and with Sainz not available, Bottas would be a good option.
Recent reports suggest that the Hinwil-based squad is eying Gabriel Bortoleto. Mattia Binotto is Sauber’s new Chief Technical Officer, and he is a huge fan of the Brazilian.
However, the move could backfire, as Bortoleto is in his rookie F2 season currently. Data gathered from driver and correlation will be the most important factor for Audi, in its bid to improve its car. And Bortoleto would lack experience on this front.
Bottas on the other hand, has proven to be one of F1’s most consistent drivers. He is a 1o-time race winner with Mercedes, and has helped the Brackley-based outfit win five Constructors’ Championships. Thus, Audi could use his experience to their advantage.
