Valtteri Bottas has left the F1 grid with an amazing record that Max Verstappen might never break

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For the first time since the 2011 Formula 1 season, Valtteri Bottas won’t be on the grid in 2025.

After successful spells at Williams, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo and Sauber, Valtteri Bottas lost his seat at the end of a point-less 2024 campaign.

He and teammate Zhou Guanyu have been replaced by Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto after a campaign that saw Sauber finish bottom of the Constructors’ Championship.

It’s hard to pin the blame on Bottas or Zhou for their underperformance, with the grid accelerating away from them throughout the season until they finally delivered an update during the last triple-header of the year where they began to be competitive.

However, if the 2024 season does end up being Bottas’ final campaign in Formula 1, he should be remembered for being an extremely competitive driver who regularly won races when he had the fastest car.

Lewis Hamilton was sad to see Bottas lose his F1 seat after the pair had such a successful time together at Mercedes.

One of Bottas’ hallmarks while with the Silver Arrows was his qualifying record, reaching Q3 on 103 consecutive occasions, a record of the modern era.

Max Verstappen may be a four-time world champion and has been unstoppable with Red Bull, but that’s a record he may never break.

Valtteri Bottas leaves Formula 1 with qualifying record Max Verstappen might never break

Bottas’ run started at the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but ended three races into his time with Alfa Romeo during the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.

Speaking to Autosport after his run ended, Bottas said: “Yeah, that should be the goal, always being in Q3.

“And it is a bit disappointing in a way, but it is good, because that’s where the car is. Now my record of 103 Q3s is over so maybe I can celebrate it tonight!

“I was really hoping to get to Montreal, where I would have passed Prost for top 10 appearances. But yeah, it’s all good.”

Bottas appeared in Q3 twice in 2024 – including his final race for Sauber – five times in 2023 and on six further occasions in 2022 after missing out on the top 10 at the Australian Grand Prix.

His best position that year was fifth in Miami, something he couldn’t have imagined during the 2024 season.

Compared to Bottas’ record, Verstappen has a long way to go to break his record despite reaching Q3 on 187 occasions in his F1 career.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

He has 40 pole positions to his name, but a Q2 exit at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix meant he needed to start again in trying to pursue Bottas’ record.

Verstappen started in the top five for the final three Grand Prix of 2024, meaning he’s only 100 qualifying sessions to go to match the Finn.

However, Verstappen doesn’t have ambitions to stay in F1 forever, meaning he may run out of time to break the 35-year-old’s record.

It should be said, as Bottas mentioned, Alain Prost currently sits second for most consecutive top 10 finishes, behind Ayrton Senna who managed 137 in a row.

However, both drivers achieved that feat when the qualifying format was different during the 1980s and 1990s.

What’s next for Valtteri Bottas after losing his Sauber F1 seat?

Bottas wanted to stay with Sauber for 2025, but ultimately that decision was taken out of his hands.

Two teams reportedly held talks with Bottas but ultimately he fell off the grid with Sauber making their final call at a point when the majority of seats had already been settled for next year.

READ MORE: Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin

However, Bottas will still be in the paddock next season after signing for Mercedes as a third driver.

He’ll be essential in helping rookie Kimi Antonelli adapt to life in Formula 1 and has enough experience to help George Russell take over as the team’s leader after Hamilton moved on.