F1 race winner Bottas labels his Sauber career ‘a mistake’ after difficult 2024

Valtteri Bottas has given a damning evaluation of his three-year stint with Sauber following his tough finale on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

After a collision with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen ended his race on the Yas Marina Circuit prematurely, 35-year-old Bottas merely mentioned his transfer to Sauber in 2022 “was a mistake,” earlier than including, “However we will’t predict the long run.” 

Talking after the Abu Dhabi GP, Bottas famous how “all the pieces began off nicely within the first yr, however since then, it was [all] downhill.”

He defined how a lot of his determination to hitch Sauber following a vastly profitable five-year tenure with Mercedes was all the way down to the presence of then- Sauber workforce boss Fred Vasseur. 

“There was a transparent plan for targets for the three years, and in addition tips on how to get there. However these plans and targets went into the bin when he left,” Bottas added, noting that they “had a superb relationship.” 

Not that Bottas wished to put any blame on Vasseur, admitting that “for a workforce principal, if in case you have an opportunity to go to Ferrari, you go.”

Vasseur left Sauber in January 2023 to take over as Ferrari workforce boss following the departure of now Sauber chief technical officer Mattia Binotto. 

Bottas revealed that when Vasseur’s departure to the Scuderia was confirmed, he did take into account leaving the workforce, however was satisfied by their incoming homeowners, German producer Audi, to stay.

“I did have an choice that if Fred goes, I can go, however I used to be then, as soon as Audi was confirmed, I used to be at all times advised I might be a pillar for the challenge,” he mentioned, including, “Properly, that did not occur.”

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Staff Kick Sauber

Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Pictures

Of their sole season collectively at Sauber, then known as Alfa Romeo, Bottas was a top-10 common, ending a excessive of fifth at Imola and ending the yr in tenth place with 49 factors.

However as soon as Vasseur departed for Italy, issues shortly turned bitter on the Swiss workforce. Bottas solely reached the top-10 3 times in 2023, dropping to scoring solely 10 factors for the season.

The state of affairs then nosedived in 2024, with Bottas failing to attain a single level for the primary time in his profession.

It wasn’t simply Bottas who struggled. Following six top-10s between 2022 and 2023, teammate Zhou Guanyu scored the workforce’s solely factors of the 2024 season with an eighth-placed end in Qatar. In consequence, Kick Sauber completed the yr final within the constructors championship.

Bottas and Zhou are each set to hit free company this offseason, with veteran Nico Hulkenberg and reigning F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto taking their seats for the workforce’s remaining season earlier than it takes on the Audi identify.

As for Bottas, his future stays unconfirmed, though it has been reported that he seems to be more likely to return to Mercedes as a reserve in 2025. However this is probably not the tip of Bottas as a starter in F1, with Cadillac set to hitch the grid in 2026 and Bottas admitting he has his eye on potential “alternatives” to return.

“That is what I hope so, and that is the goal. I feel there will probably be, there will probably be alternatives. However for that, I nonetheless must maintain driving, be certain that I get some testing. Be concerned,” he added.