Valtteri Bottas says that “sorting things out for the future” is his top priority in the coming weeks as the Finn appears to have the upper when it comes to Sauber’s second seat for 2025.
The whisper in the paddock over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend was that Bottas had inked a contract extension with Audi-Sauber for next season, although the ten-time Grand Prix winner gave no hint that a new deal had been signed and sealed.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that McLaren junior and FIA Formula 2 Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto was close to being signed up by Audi-Sauber.
In fact, both stories could end up being true according to Blick, with the Swiss outfit prolonging Bottas’ contract by a single year while Bortoleto waits in the wings as the team’s reserve and development driver before replacing Bottas in 2026.
As for Williams rookie Franco Colapinto, who has also been cited as a candidate to fill the Hinwil squad’s vacant seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg, team boss James Vowles admitted at Marina Bay last weekend that Sauber’s interest in the Argentine driver “is rather small”.
Only time will tell how the situation pans out for all involved, but Bottas laid out his priorities during F1’s three-week autumn break.
“First of all, try to find performance, evaluating what exactly is going to be the upgrade for Austin, which is very much needed,” he explained.
“And sorting things out for the future, that’s obviously high on my priority list because it’s starting to feel almost like Christmas time, you know it’s getting close so better get it sorted.”
©Sauber
Sauber are the only team yet to score a championship point this season.
Reflecting on his race weekend at Marina Bay where he finished P16, one spot behind his teammate Zhou Guanyu, Bottas said that it was “still not an easy day like expected, and also no help from safety cars”.
“I just had an issue with my brakes at the beginning of the race,” he added. “They overheated and I started locking up, so lost some time there. If I look at the race, I don’t think we would actually do much different.
“We could also work together as a team at the end of the race to keep Gasly behind and that was good, so I think we maximised today.”
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