Valtteri Bottas may be excited about ‘what’s next’ for him in Formula 1, but there is no hiding the disappointment about how a ‘worst-case scenario’ left him on the sidelines.
Having had high hopes about what a move to Alfa/Romeo Sauber in 2022 – then under the leadership of Fred Vasseur – could bring him, Bottas was ultimately denied the progress he hoped for by a change at the top, and this season was his first in F1 where he failed to score a point.
Having been overlooked for a seat at Hinwil for 2025 in favour of Gabriel Bortoleto, and no options elsewhere, Bottas is returning to Mercedes as a reserve driver – hoping that he can find his way back into race action for 2026.
The Finn has kept a brave face on the challenges of this season – where highlights have been his extracurricular activities more than on-track performances.
But for someone as competitive as he is, Bottas’ struggles have admittedly not been easy to cope with.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Bottas said: “It’s hard, for sure, because I would like to show what I can do and shine and have my moments, but it’s difficult at the back. People just won’t see and almost people forget what you can achieve.
“So I just think it’s for me, it’s just a bit unlucky that I’ve got into this situation, which ended up being the worst-case scenario. It meant I was left without the seat for next year.
“If I could go back three years, I probably would have chosen another team to go into, based on what the situation is now.
“But you just can’t predict the future, because in the first year, when I signed up with Fred for three years, there was a clear plan and clear goals.
“The first year was, I think, great overall. But then when Fred left, things kind of collapsed a bit, including the goals and the targets.”
Valtteri Bottas, KICK Sauber
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Bottas certainly could not have predicted how things would go south this year, as Sauber dropped to the back of the field and ended up 10th in the constructors’ championship.
It was only Zhou Guanyu’s eighth-place finish in Qatar that prevented the team from ending 2024 without any points on the board at all.
Part of the explanation for the drop in competitiveness is that the squad focused too much on its Audi plans from 2026, so neglected the present.
But Bottas thinks that things have also not been helped by the impact of a rotating door of management with Vasseur, then Andreas Seidl, and most recently Mattia Binotto.
“There has not been enough stability in terms of the leadership,” he said. “We have now our third new leader within three years, and with each of the changes to the top, it has also meant that many key people have changed in the roles.
