Valtteri Bottas is one of the drivers who is at risk of losing their seat in F1. Ever since the start of the season, there has been a lot of speculation as to whom Sauber will sign for eh 2025 season. They have already filled one seat with Nico Hulkenberg. But the other seat is a completely different story.
Although the team will continue with the Sauber name next year, it will become Audi Motorsport in 2026. This means that next year’s Sauber driver lineup will be the driver lineup for Audi as well. Bottas has been one of the constant fan-favourites for his Sauber seat. However, Sauber is still hesitating to sign the Finnish driver. But Bottas has stated that he has nothing more he can do this season.
Valtteri Bottas says he can’t do anymore this season
During Thursday’s press conference ahead of the Brazil GP, Valtteri Bottas stated that he is still waiting for Sauber to make their decision and there is nothing else he can do with the car he has been given by the team.
“I’m still waiting, the ball is in their camp basically. I feel like I did the job in Mexico and at the moment I really can’t do more with this car and showcase more what I can do than what I’m doing at the moment, so all I can do is wait.”
Valtteri Bottas:
“I feel like I’m driving better than I did at Mercedes, but it’s not showing”#F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/BUX9RhDBOm
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 19, 2024
Sauber’s 2024 challenger is the worst car on the grid right now. They are the only team who are yet to score a point this season. None of the drivers have even come close to scoring a point in the last 20 races.
Bottas says he cannot perform any better with the car the team has provided. This makes it very difficult for Suaber to evaluate their drivers. If the car is able to score points, there will be a benchmark to evaluate from. However, with neither driver scoring points this season, Sauber will have to take a gamble if they have to choose from their existing driver lineup.
What are Sauber’s other choices for the 2025 season?
Apart from Valtteri Bottas, it is understood that Sauber is evaluating Gabriel Bortoleto and Fraco Colpainto for the 2025 season. Both of these drivers are young talent and have shown a lot of pace this year.
Bortoleto is driving in Formula 2 where he is currently leading the Championship. If he does so, he would have won the F3 and F2 Championship in consecutive years. This is a feat that has only been accomplished by a few drivers, and most of these drivers have been successful in F1.
Franco Colapinto initially started the year in Formula 2 but was asked to step up when Williams needed a replacement for Logan Sargeant after the Dutch GP. Since then, Colapinto has proven himself in the sport and has shown to the world that he deserves to be here in Formula 1.
Max Verstappen thinks Sauber should have already signed Gabriel Bortoleto for their 2025 lineup.
Read the quotes in the article below. 👇#F1 #BrazilGPhttps://t.co/bbJjon8nYj
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 31, 2024
During the press conference ahead of the Brazil GP, Max Verstappen stated that if he were Sauber, he would have already signed Bortoleto for the 2025 season.
So on the one hand we have Bottas, who has a lot of experience and could be useful to build a team from scratch. On the other hand, we have Colapinto and Bortoleto who are young and talented and could be a future asset for the team.
So if you were Sauber, who would you choose as your driver for the 2025 season? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
