Valtteri Bottas has just begun his 12th F1 season with Sauber in 2024. The Finnish driver signed a long-term contract with the Swiss team in 2022, leaving Mercedes behind. At the outset, it was believed that the agreement would last until the end of 2025. However, it was revealed last year that Bottas’ contract was only signed by the end of 2024. Thus, the #77 driver is now one of the numerous free agents available for 2025. Despite turning 34 last year, Bottas has no intention of calling it quits on his career. Instead, Bottas states that his goal is to equal Fernando Alonso’s longevity in F1.
During the Adelaide festival, when asked about his future, Bottas stated (as reported by Junaid on X), “I don’t have a number, in terms of years, because I don’t see my time in F1 ending any time soon. So, I am now 34, and Fernando Alonso is 65 (laughs), so he is a pretty good reference that you can still perform.”
Fernando Alonso has definitely aged like fine wine, at 42, he is still pushing himself to the maximum and appears to be among the fittest on the grid. Thus, based on his performance, it seems like Bottas looks up to the Spaniard and wants to pursue a career along similar lines.
Nonetheless, Alonso has made several jumps that have led him to join one of the teams that has been suitable for him in recent years. For Bottas, however, things haven’t been that good. Since leaving Mercedes, his tenure has been peaceful mentally. However, while discussing his performance on the track, the Finn hasn’t been able to showcase any quick moves on the track.
How has Valtteri Bottas’ move to Sauber fared thus far?
Valtteri Bottas made a significant switch from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo-Sauber. While he finished third in the championship standings and won a race in 2021 when driving for the Silver Arrows, he failed to secure even a single podium in 2022. With only 49 points earned over the season, he finished at P10 in the driver’s standings.
While Bottas still had a respectable year in 2022, the conclusion of the 2023 season forced him to the back of the standings. With just 10 points, Bottas concluded the 2023 season in P15. Although the 10-time race winner hasn’t performed well for Sauber, his expertise is still valuable to the team, which will soon be going through a transitional phase when Audi enters the sport in 2026.
In light of this, Bottas, who has previously expressed openness to taking the vacant seat at Mercedes (due to Hamilton’s departure), stated that securing a new contract with Audi is his top priority.
According to Planet F1, Bottas said, “I think there will be opportunities but, at the moment, my priorities are the Audi project and to get in there for the long-term.”
However, as things stand, it appears that Bottas will need a strong year to win over Audi. This is because, in the first two races, the Finn has failed to score any points.
