Sauber announced that the cooperation between it and Valtteri Bottas will no longer continue in the coming season.
10:08•Updated 10:59
The F1 team Sauber has announced that no Valtteri Bottas and not China’s Zhou Guanyu continue as team drivers next season. Bottas has driven for the team for three seasons.
In its press release, Sauber thanked the 35-year-old Finn for the years together.
Sauber had practically the only driving seat left for next year. Sauber later announced that 20-year-old Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto will be the team’s driver next season. Nico Hulkenberg drive another car in the garage.
Bortoleto is one of the hottest formula promises of the moment. He won the F3 series last year and is currently leading the F2 series with two race weekends to go.
– We would like to thank Valtteri for the three years together. He has been a professional who has used his extensive experience to develop the stable’s growth. Valtteri’s dedication and attitude have been invaluable, Sauber boss Mattia Binotto stated in the announcement.
67 podiums
Valtteri Bottas has been driving in formula one since 2013. He is best remembered for the years 2017–2021, when he drove Mercedes’ top car.
Bottas won ten races at that time. During his career, he has achieved 67 podium places and grabbed 20 pole positions. In addition to Sauber and Mercedes, he has driven for Williams.
This season has been miserable for Bottas and Sauber in terms of results. The team is the only one of the ten teams that does not have a point. Bottas has still been clearly better than teammate Zhou in qualifying.
– Such situations are never easy for anyone. After long good discussions, we realized that the conditions for the continuation of this project were not met. The last few years with the team have been an incredible journey with challenges and wonderful experiences, Bottas said in the press release about his feelings.
Bottas has stated several times that he wants a two-year contract. Binotto admitted in October that a two-year contract has been negotiated.
It is certainly possible that Bottas would return to Formula One, but there are many examples of experienced drivers who did not return to the series.
It has been considered as one option that the Finn would return to Mercedes next year as a test and reserve driver. Bottas himself has not ruled out this scenario.
Mercedes’ next season’s race drivers are George Russell and moving to Ferrari Lewis Hamilton replacement 18 year old Kimi Antonelli.
There are three races left this F1 season. Time will tell if the Abu Dhabi race on Finland’s Independence Day weekend will be the last of Bottas’ career as an F1 race driver.