Bottas to court rival F1 team seat if Audi talks break down

Valtteri Bottas’ priority is to secure a contract extension that covers Audi’s Formula 1 arrival in 2026, but he would be prepared to reach out to other teams if talks break down.

The Finn currently drives for the Sauber-run side, which will run under the guise of Stake F1 Team for the next two seasons ahead of its planned evolution into a works Audi entry.

Sauber capitalised on the overhaul to the regulations in 2022 to provide Bottas with a competitive car in his debut season with the team, rising to sixth place in the standings.

However, the Hinwil-based squad’s competitiveness had waned over the second half of the year and that carried into 2023 as it plummeted to ninth in the Constructors’ Championship. Bottas amassed just four points finishes throughout the campaign as Sauber racked up a pitiful tally of 16 points.

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Bottas, who has accrued 67 podiums across spells with Williams and Mercedes, is determined to return to the rostrum and regards Audi as his greatest chance for that.

“F1 is the number one thing for me,” Bottas told Motorsport.com. “I’m still hungry to get back on the podium eventually. The Audi project could be the next opportunity.” 

The multiple-time F1 winner’s contract with Sauber expires at the end of 2024 and Bottas is keen to have his future clarified regarding Audi during the early stages of this year.

He added: “From my understanding, they’re going to make decisions of the years ahead early [this] year. So not yet. I’m going to have those discussions in the first quarter of [this] year.”

Although he outlines being in place for Audi’s eagerly anticipated takeover as his “number one preference”, Bottas wants to remain in F1 and would court other teams about a potential seat opening if a position within the German marque’s ranks doesn’t materialise.

When asked if he could see himself looking elsewhere if Audi opted not to retain his services, Bottas answered: “I would, of course. I’m just being really honest here.  

“Being part of Audi would be my number one priority and preference. But if for some reason not, then absolutely I would talk to [other teams].  

“I want to be around because I feel like I still have some unfinished things in this sport.”

Bottas will partner Zhou Guanyu for the third consecutive season in 2024, with the Chinese driver keeping his place on the grid on a third successive one-year agreement.

Sauber has announced that it will launch its 2024 F1 challenger on 5 February during a launch event in the United Kingdom, marking a break from tradition for the Swiss outfit.

Aside from running Stake title branding for both 2024 and ’25, Kick, a streaming service subsidiary of the company, acquired the exclusive naming rights to Sauber’s chassis.