Bottas was promised a big role in the Audi project, but he got the starting passes.
Valtteri Bottas tells For Autosportthat the promise made to him about the continuation of his F1 career was broken.
– When the Audi pattern was confirmed, I was told from the beginning that I was an important pillar in that project. Well, that didn’t happen, says Bottas.
Sauber’s team will change to Audi in the 2026 season.
The Finn wanted to stay at Sauber precisely because of the Audi promise, when the team manager Frederic Vasseur left the team in December 2022. Bottas reveals that he had the opportunity to leave with Vasseur at the same door opening, but decided otherwise.
The 2024 season became a nightmare for Sauber.
– With Fred, we had clear goals and also plans to realize them. However, they flew into the scrap heap when Fred left.
Bottas is not afraid to say outright that he should never have moved to Sauber, i.e. Alfa Romeo at the time. He joined the team for the 2022 season.
– It was a mistake. But the future is impossible to predict, Bottas says.
– Everything went well in the first year, but since then it’s been downhill.
It has been rumored that Bottas will move to Mercedes’ reserve driver next season. He drove for the team for five great seasons between 2017 and 2021.
The matter was corrected on 11.12. 21:51: Vasseur left Alfa Romeo in December 2022, not December 2023.
Valtteri Bottas may have driven his last F1 race. EPA / AOP