Valtteri Bottas Sauber, named Alfa Romeo, had a really bad season last season. The stable was just the penultimate one. Bottas was only in four races with points and at best he was eighth twice. Now the garage actually has a completely new car.
One interesting change is in the front suspension of the car. Sauber has set out to imitate Red Bull, the successful team of recent years, and McLaren, the sensation of last season. Sauber considers this solution to be better for current so-called ground effect cars.
Bottas and the Sauber bosses have said that the speed of the car in the curves would now be better than before. In other solutions, Sauber has approached last year’s Red Bull car.
Urheilu’s F1 expert Jukka Mildhin in my opinion, we should expect better results from Sauber than last season.
– Based on the tests, the concept of the car seems better, although the team’s resources are not enough for terribly fast development, Mildh estimates.
Will the last F1 season of Bottas’ career begin now?
In general, Bottas’ career is at a watershed. The career of the 34-year-old Finn has taken a downward turn along with Sauber. Bottas’ current contract expires this season.
Finland has been handsomely represented in the royal class of motor sports in the F1 series for 34 years straight. Now the pipe can break.
The expert hopes that this would not happen.
– Bottas has seen at Mercedes how to operate in a winning team. That doctrine has not been lost. In that sense, Valtteri would have something to contribute, Mildh points out and reminds that the winner of ten races has a great value in the F1 world.
– In order for Valtteri to be able to continue in formula one, he has to show hunger. The driving data must look really good. Valtteri must do flawless work. He needs to put himself in the box. I’m not saying Valtteri wouldn’t do it. However, now Valtteri has to surpass himself.
Overall, the situation is interesting, as no less than 12 current drivers have their contracts expiring this season. Only McLaren and Ferrari have secured both their driver positions for the coming seasons. Mildh says that one or two new drivers may enter the series. It also means that, among other things, the continuation of Bottas’ F1 career is threatened.
Left without a contract extension at Ferrari Carlos Sainz has been strong in the media speculation at the wheel of Sauber. Audi will take over Sauber for the 2026 season. Bottaskin has dreamed of the Audi project, considered it his main goal and wanted to get back on the podium.
However, expert Mildh sees Sainz’s shares as strong because his motorsport legend has good relations with Audi.
– So is Audi the best place for Carlos or even Valtteri? There are high expectations for Audi, but Formula One won’t win right away. That is also a long project, Mildh questions.
Can Lewis Hamilton’s shock transfer fail to make an impact?
In the F1 driver market, it has already happened when Lewis Hamilton was said to be moving from Mercedes to Ferrari next season. The surprise transfer of the most successful F1 driver of all time to the most traditional F1 team was especially shocking because of the unprecedented timing of the announcement.
– Both Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are bound by the contract. You have to go with it. Because of their reputation and success, Mercedes and Hamilton have no chance to do anything unprofessional, Mildh estimates.
However, the expert sees one clear consequence. Hamilton will be left out of all meetings regarding the car for the coming years. For 2026, the rules will change radically due to the new engine rules. Mercedes certainly doesn’t want to tell Hamilton any more about those plans.
In Mildh’s opinion, the transfer could cause some turmoil at Ferrari during the season that is still starting, because things are handled with emotion at the Italian team.
– This will certainly tell Sainz mentally that Charles Leclerc is always and always will be Ferrari’s number one driver. It was also played with this Hamilton transfer, Mildh estimates.
Will the F1 season become boring again?
The last F1 season was one of the most boring in the history of the series. 21 out of 22 races were won by a Red Bull driver. Red Bull had the most dominant season ever. Max Verstappen also made history with his 19 wins.
Concerns have arisen whether this F1 season will be just as boring. The rules will not change much for the coming season. Expert Mildh cannot promise major changes in power relations. Red Bull even surprised everyone with its new car.
– Red Bull brings a completely new car concept to replace the world’s best F1 car until now. It shows that they still have something in their back pocket. They are still one step ahead. It’s a bit worrying, Mildh admits.
Mildh sees the team’s second driver as a possible weak point by Sergio Perez.
Last year there was a lot of buzz about McLaren’s rise to Red Bull’s position. However, in this season’s F1 tests, McLaren seemed to be behind Ferrari and Mercedes.
– It’s hard to say what the tests said. The track in Bahrain is difficult. Lots of sand. The track treats tires differently. There are still many question marks. The test time also went away when the manhole covers came off. I still maintain that McLaren is really strong, says Mildh.
Are there too many F1 races?
This F1 season will feature a record number of races, a total of 24. China is returning to the competition calendar after a five-year corona break. The Imola GP had to be canceled last year due to floods, so basically there are two more races in the program than last year.
F1 has stated its desire to rationalize the competition calendar to a more regional one, but the GPs in Miami, Montreal and Las Vegas, for example, still cause big disturbances around the world.
Is 24 races already too many?
– We are starting to be at the extreme limits. People may not be able to handle it. Now there are limited budgets. They are still large, but the limitations can be seen in the number of people in the stables. “Changing the groups that go around the competition is a completely impossible task,” says Mildh.