Valtteri Bottas has conceded that Sauber hasn’t been “super stable” amid the news that Audi has once again made a change at the top prior to its Formula 1 entrance.
Audi will take over the current Sauber-run squad and venture into F1 as a works entrant for the first time once brand-new technical regulations are introduced in 2026.
However, the German marque has elected to make a change to its management structure less than 18 months away with two senior individuals departing last month.
Andreas Seidl, who was overseeing the Audi transition as CEO, has been ousted with Chief Representative Oliver Hoffmann, as ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto comes in.
Binotto has commenced work this month as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer, and his responsibilities will comprise accelerating Sauber’s morph into Audi.
Bottas, whose contract with the side expires once this season concludes, has admitted that the Swiss-Italian will require time to stamp his own mark on proceedings.
“It’s a bit of a reset again,” Bottas acknowledged. “It’s not a secret that when there’s a new leadership, it will always take a bit of time, first of all.
“Mattia needs to know what are the weaknesses, what are the strengths, what are the priorities for short- and long-term improvements, and that’s going to take a bit of time.
“Again, it’s the third time now in three years, within three years, that we’ve had change at the top, so not a new situation, and the team shouldn’t be too affected at this point.
“I think it’s more the stuff for the future, and obviously time will show what will happen.”
Binotto’s appointment has come with Sauber languishing dead last in the Constructors’ Championship as the sole team to have not scored a single point in 14 events.
But while he’s accepted the long-time Ferrari man’s main task will be prepping Audi’s arrival, Bottas is adamant that Sauber’s current competitiveness can’t be ignored.
Asked where he thinks Binotto’s priorities will lie as he assesses the Sauber/Audi team, Bottas replied: “I don’t want to go too much into details.
“Obviously, some things are internal, but we know that compared to, let’s say, at the moment, to the big teams, we’re still lacking a bit of human power.
“We could do with more people, but at the same time, the team has been hiring and growing recently quite a bit.
“There are certain areas that we definitely need to focus on, at the factory but also with the car performance.
“We’re at the moment not where we need to be and that’s basically we needed some new upgrades and into the right direction.”
Pressed on whether he sensed it was moving like two separate entities, the ex-Mercedes driver retorted: “I wouldn’t say that it feels like two separate teams.
“Obviously, yeah, there has been a change again and now everyone needs to get to know Mattia better. And yeah, looking forward to actually start working with him.
“But no, it still feels like one team. Like I said, it’s not been super stable lately. But hopefully from now on, things will be a bit more stable and there’s a clear direction.”
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