Valtteri Bottas understands that it is tricky for outside world to know how a F1 driver performs when not scoring, but says movements is happening.
After the announcement from Audi in tandem with Sauber where Nico Hulkenberg will race for them from F1 2025 onward, it has left a space for just one driver with multiple in play. They currently have Bottas and Zhou Guanyu to choose from internally.
Even the likes of Theo Pourchaire is waiting in their wings, as is Zane Maloney. On the outside, one big name is Carlos Sainz. For Bottas, though, he is keeping his options open too. The chances of remaining at Sauber seems to be 50-50 now.
With the hiring of Hulkenberg, it makes it difficult for Bottas considering they are like-for-like driver. But the Finn is not bogging down as he notes about discussions already underway and decisions on the future to be done sooner than later.
“No, there are options and no, at the moment it is 100% F1,” said Bottas. “You are right on that, I feel like things will start happening like soon, like now obviously Fernando has decided to stay, so that’s done. And actually there’s not many fallen pieces anywhere but of course there’s questions on certain drivers like what is Carlos is going to do, what’s Mercedes is going to do, all these things.
“So, I would say ideally within next few weeks, things are sorted and I am working on it, sure. And talks have had started, so should be interesting few weeks,” summed up Bottas, who understands that being in a position where you are not scoring points, it becomes difficult to be seen by many in the front.
While your own team knows what you are doing, but for outsiders it is not easy. “It is how the sports works, sometimes it is more difficult to show what you can do but I think the people really look into the details and try to see how somebody is performing, they will see but I think I would say, for the outside world, it is tricky,” said Bottas.
“When you are not scoring, you are almost hidden in a way but I feel I have had couple of good qualifying sessions and good races so far, but there’s been always compromises, something has happened whether it is pit stop, etc. All I can do is try and perform the best I can. I have been feeling good lately, so hopefully the right people will see that.
“For sure. Absolutely, [internally] they can see, they know the work I put in, like testing two days in Japan non-stop, flew overnight and I was direct into simulator, doing co-relation and also…they know,” summed up Bottas.
Here’s Sauber, Audi signing Nico Hulkenberg
Here’s Zhou Guanyu on emotional Chinese GP
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