Valtteri Bottas Reveals Future Requirement As Sauber Contract Expiry Looms

Saajan Jogia | Aug 29, 2024

May 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Kick Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas (77) addresses the media in advance of the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas will continue his F1 career with Sauber/Audi for 2025 and beyond, only if he secures a multi-year contract extension. This stance comes as Audi represents his sole opportunity to stay in the sport's top tier.

Alpine, alongside Sauber, was one of the few teams with a seat available for the upcoming season. However, with Alpine signing junior driver Jack Doohan, Bottas's only remaining option in Formula 1 is to stay with Sauber. Yet, ongoing management changes within the team have complicated his contract extension negotiations.

Audi recently appointed Mattia Binotto as part of Sauber's transition into the Audi Works team, who took over the Sauber F1 operation after the ousting of Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl and former chairman of the board of directors, Oliver Hoffmann, due to a reported internal power struggle.

While Binotto took over the CTO and CEO roles, the role of team principal was assigned to Red Bull's sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, effective in mid-2025. This new dual-management structure sets the stage for additional changes within the team, including potential driver signings for the upcoming season.

Despite the delay in negotiations, Bottas remains pressed to sign a multi-year deal to safeguard his racing career. 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.”

Bottas revealed that his contract extension talks with Binotto have progressed but are yet to reach advanced stages. Thus, a contract signing won't be possible during the Italian Grand Prix weekend. 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.”

However, with Sauber being his only option, Bottas hasn't thought about a move away from Formula 1, saying it would be too early to think in that direction when talks were still underway, and with nine races left to go for the conclusion of the 2024 season. He said:

“Options are limited for me, that's how it is.

"So, of course, it has crossed my mind, and I've had to think, what if I leave Formula 1? But I think it's still too early to think about that for the next year.”