Guenther Steiner, former director of the Haas Formula 1 team, has expressed doubts about Valtteri Bottas’ motivation and future within the new Cadillac project. According to Steiner, the Finnish driver seems to have given up during a very challenging 2026 season for the American team.
In a recent episode of The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner provided an assessment of the current landscape of the 2026 grid and offered a highly critical analysis of Bottas’ performance and that of his teammate, Sergio Pérez.
Cadillac entered Formula 1 this year with a lineup of experienced drivers, incorporating Bottas and Pérez, who currently occupy the last positions in the overall standings, having yet to score points in the first 11 races of the season.
Despite the same scores, Pérez has shown a better performance with a 9 to 6 advantage in qualifying over Bottas. Steiner gave the Mexican a ‘C’ grade, praising his effort in a car that often proves to be uncompetitive and unreliable.
In contrast, Bottas received a grade of ‘D’, highlighting his apparent lack of motivation. ‘I think he has somewhat given up’, said Steiner. Regarding the possibility of replacing Bottas, he admitted that if the team decided to make a change, the Finn would be the most obvious candidate to leave the grid.
Steiner concluded his analysis by indicating that if the team needed to restructure its driver lineup, Bottas would be the first option for a possible change, noting that his performances have not lived up to expectations.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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