237-race driver thinks he’ll ‘probably’ still be on the Formula 1 grid in 2029

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The Formula 1 driver’s market can be brutal and with just a few seats left to fill for next season, several racers currently on the grid look set to miss out.

Oliver Bearman is currently the only rookie signed up for 2025 but that may change in the coming weeks.

Teenager Kimi Antonelli looks set to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes which will be a huge step up for the 17-year-old who was driving in FRECA last year.

Alpine could hire Jack Doohan to fill Esteban Ocon’s seat which would mean a trio of current drivers would have to make way without taking into account what could happen at the two Red Bull teams over the winter or even before the end of the current campaign.

It appears unlikely that Logan Sargeant will be picked up by another team after losing his Williams seat to Carlos Sainz, while Kevin Magnussen is in a similar position at Haas.

However, in an interview with the Formula 1 website, one experienced driver thinks they’ve got a chance of being on the grid in five years.

Valtteri Bottas is now the strongest driver who is still a free agent ahead of next year.

His current team – Sauber – have yet to score a point and Bottas currently sits rock bottom of the Drivers’ Championship.

However, the Finn – who has taken part in 237 F1 races in his career – thinks he could still be driving in F1 in 2029.

He needs to secure a seat on the grid for next year first, but there are a pair of drivers still on the grid who have shown that age is just a number when it comes to entering negotiations.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso are already older than Bottas will be in five years and they don’t look set to stop any time soon.

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

Valtteri Bottas says he’ll ‘probably’ still be driving in Formula 1 in 2029

Bottas entered Formula 1 in 2013 with Williams after winning GP2 and serving as the team’s reserve driver for a year.

His performances alongside Felipe Massa impressed with Claire Williams describing Bottas and Massa as her favourite pairing while team principal.

He eventually moved to Mercedes following Nico Rosberg’s unexpected retirement and before joining Alfa Romeo – now Sauber – helped Lewis Hamilton win multiple championships.

The Finn’s longevity has never been questioned and he was asked where he thinks he’ll be in five years and the 34-year-old out said: “Five years’ time, I’ll be 39 years old… Probably still here driving, but which team, we’ll see!”

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What are Sauber star Valtteri Bottas’s options for next season?

Time is running out for Bottas to secure his place on the grid for next season but he’s in a relatively strong position.

Although he won’t be under consideration by Mercedes or the two Red Bull teams should they decide to change their drivers, Alpine and Sauber are much more realistic propositions.

Bottas doesn’t appear to be keen on a move to Alpine and so that leaves Sauber as his only option.

The Sauber-Audi team were keen on signing Carlos Sainz but confirmation that he’s now joined Williams means they now need to look at alternatives.

Bottas admitted earlier in the season that his ideal solution was to stay at Sauber until they became the Audi works team.

Audi now look likely to offer Bottas a deal for next year as they continue to search for a teammate for Nico Hulkenberg.

Alternatively, IndyCar teams are showing an interest in hiring Bottas but it doesn’t look like he’s done with Formula 1 just yet.