Valtteri Bottas Faces Intense Competition For Audi Seat As F1 Future Seems Hazy

Saajan Jogia | Aug 30, 2024

Valtteri Bottas / Sauber Press Image

Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas has been facing intense competition to secure the last racing seat available in Formula 1. The Finnish driver is pushing for a contract extension with Sauber, but recent organizational changes and Audi's takeover have complicated his efforts.

Audi recently appointed Mattia Binotto to lead Sauber's transition into the Audi Works team by 2026, following the ousting of Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl and former board chairman Oliver Hoffmann amid reports of an internal power struggle.

Binotto has assumed the positions of CTO and CEO, while Red Bull's sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, is set to become team principal in mid-2025. This dual-management structure paves the way for further changes within the team, including possible new driver signings for the next season.

Audi was quick to sign Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg for the next season in recent months before Binotto's arrival. But things are taking longer for Bottas as the team explores other options, with Audi said to pitch a young driver alongside an experienced driver like Hulkenberg.

F2 driver Gabriel Bortoleto is said to be a key candidate for the seat at Sauber as per a report, apart from Robert Shwartzman, who had a run in Sauber's C44 F1 car during FP1 at Zandvoort. The signs currently show that while Bottas continues negotiations with Binotto, the outfit continues to explore other options.

Making the situation more complicated is Bottas' emphasis on signing a multi-year contract to safeguard his racing career in Formula 1, as opposed to a one-year contract, in case Audi decided to sign him for one season and experiment until its final takeover of the team in 2026. Speaking to the media at Monza, the Finn said:

“I'm only interested in multi-year contract, because for me, doing just one year, I know that still next year probably won't be easy for my career.

“That's not that interesting. So, for me, the main thing is to be part of a clear project and to have a clear plan for the years ahead. That's I think, at my stage of my career, I think that's important.”

Speaking on his discussions with Binotto, the Sauber driver revealed that there was progress in the talks but nothing concrete is expected to happen his weekend at the Italian Grand Prix. He added:

“We continued the discussions this week, I was at the factory on Tuesday, and we’re making progress.

“But now we're here [at Monza] to race, we're not gonna sign contracts here. We're here to race and focus on bouncing back off the difficult weekend, and then there's always next week.”