Valtteri Bottas says he's still "more than happy" to race on in F1 for years to come, but the Alfa Romeo driver admits there will come a point when he will no longer want to pack his suitcase.
Bottas started his career in F1 with Williams in 2013, but conquered all ten of his Grand Prix wins with the mighty Mercedes squad for which he raced from 2017 to 2022, with Lewis Hamilton as his teammate.
The seven-time world champion's presence on the other side of the garage likely prevented Bottas from adding more victories – or perhaps even a world title - to his track record.
And it doesn't look he'll be improving his winning stats any time soon with Alfa Romeo, which he joined in 2022. But for now, the 33-year-old Finn is taking it one season at a time.
©AlfaRomeo
However, will he be emulating Fernando Alonso and racing in F1 into his 40s?
"It's hard to say," Bottas told F1's Tom Clarkson on the later's 'Beyond the Grid' podcast.
"It obviously depends [on] the way the sport is going. What's the situation in the sport? Which team are you in? How is the atmosphere?
"At some point, what comes to you is all the traveling. Would you rather be racing [on] another side of the globe, or would you rather actually not pack your suitcase and stay home? I think that's going to come at some point.
"It's pretty consuming. I'm still more than happy to do it for quite a long time. But I'll tell you, when I'm 39, if I go for 40.
"It's hard to commit to at the moment, but I still have many, many years for sure."
Bottas' current contract with Sauber/Alfa Romeo F1 expires at the end of 2024, after which an extension would potentially set him up to become a works driver for Audi from 2026 when the German manufacturer – which is acquiring Sauber – makes its official entry into the sport.
Only time will tell if Bottas remains at Hinwil after 2024, but he believes that racing under the works Audi banner is certainly an interesting prospect.
"I'm still young compared to some," said the ten-time Grand Prix winner. "I'm 33. I still don't see my Formula 1 career ending in the near future and I don't feel any performance losses on my driving or the way I work with the team.
"It is interesting for the whole race team and company, what is happening. Of course, being part of a car manufacturer is something that you almost need if you want to win in Formula 1."
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