Valtteri Bottas looks set to resign for the Sauber F1 seat. The team will become Audi from 2026.
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Valtteri Bottas looks set to resign for his Sauber F1 seat next year. He is their number one target in their final year under the Sauber umbrella. Audi will take over the team in 2026.
He will join Nico Hülkenberg as his teammate.
Autosport’s Italian edition shared that the team has offered Bottas a one-year deal to stay.
The Finnish driver is reportedly seeking a one-plus-one deal. This would allow him to continue into 2026, with the expectation that improved conditions will enable him to prove his potential.
He was not their first choice, however. They had hoped to see Carlos Sainz join the team following his departure from Ferrari. The Spaniard has instead signed for Williams.
They are keen to offer a one-year deal in order to pick its line-up for the following season when it enters F1.
Should the team change their mind, rumours suggest that McLaren junior Gabriel Bortoleto, who won the Formula 3 championship last year, would be their next choice.
Bottas’s Thoughts
Bottas explained ahead of the Italian Grand Prix how Sauber has been unable to find any form this season.
He has full trust in the team’s new chief operating officer and chief technical officer Mattia Binotto.
“We haven’t found big enough steps, that obviously comes a lot from the development at the factory.”
“Some other teams made bigger steps. I think Alpine was a good example. We were ahead of them in the beginning of the year, but now they are clearly ahead.
“We haven’t found enough lap time. I think the base car that we started the season wasn’t that far off.
“But from the beginning to now, we just haven’t made big enough steps. I think that’s the biggest issue.”
It is apparent that he has not been content with Sauber behind the scenes. He shared, “I don’t want to really say anything bad about the previous leaders, but I feel like a bit of reshaping and a bit of change probably is good for the long term.
“I put full trust in Mattia. He knows how to lead a team and I think he’s learned a lot in the last weeks what the team needs.
“Now it’s actually the first time he’ll be on track observing how we operate, so I’m sure he’ll pick up even more.
“This season we’re not expecting any miracles. I think what Mattia’s presence can do is to help next year.”
Image Credit: Sauber
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