Valtteri Bottas is not revealing much about his Formula 1 prospects for the future. He has mentioned that he has a “priority” for the 2025 season but is waiting for Carlos Sainz’s decision before making any moves. Bottas will not be continuing with Sauber next season, and either he or his teammate Zhou Guanyu will have to leave as Nico Hulkenberg joins the team. Sauber is interested in signing Sainz as they transition into Audi in 2026, but they face competition from Williams and Alpine. Last weekend, it seemed like Sainz was close to joining Williams until Alpine showed interest in pairing him with Pierre Gasly. Bottas has shared that the driver market has stalled in the past week, and there is no update on his racing plans for next season. He remains committed to F1 and has been actively discussing his future with different teams. He is waiting for one piece to fall into place before everything falls into place quickly.
In response to the question of whether he has made a decision, Bottas stated: “Certainly. I have established my priority and my sequence, although I cannot disclose it. However, it is quite evident to me what I desire.”
Nevertheless, the Finnish driver echoed Kevin Magnussen’s remarks from last week, stating that the drivers without contracts are awaiting the resolution of the Sainz situation in order to finalize their own deals.
“Because someone else must make a decision about where he is going, and that decision will determine how the pieces fall,” he added.
Bottas has repeatedly expressed his belief that he will remain on the F1 grid, but he has acknowledged the possibility of being left without a seat.
“There is always a risk, but I see… well,” he acknowledged.
“I am still confident that I will be here next year in one of the seats, but as I mentioned last weekend, in this sport, nothing is confirmed until you are signed.
“You can always have discussions and so on, but until the contract is signed, nothing is confirmed.
“So there is also that aspect, but I am not too concerned based on my understanding of the situation.”
Bottas has admitted that it is a peculiar situation to have his future dependent on another driver’s decision, but it is something he has grown accustomed to.
“At first, it seemed strange to me that one driver would have so much influence, but now I understand the reasons behind it,” he explained.
“As you know, this sport is not always fair and there are other factors at play beyond pure performance.”