34-year-old driver admits he needs a ‘good start’ in 2024 to secure Formula 1 future

Follow us on Google Discover

Valtteri Bottas has admitted he needs to have a good start to the 2024 season to guarantee his future in Formula 1.

Stake F1 – also known as Sauber and previously Alfa Romeo – were pretty poor last season, only finishing above Haas in the Constructors’ Championship.

Speaking to The Advertiser, Valtteri Bottas has shared some details about his off-season activities and hopes for the future.

Bottas is one of several drivers who appear to be nearing the end of their Formula 1 careers.

The Finn is now 34 and his current deal only runs until the end of the season.

While he has admitted he would like to stay with Sauber until they become Audi in 2026, he’s also said he’s not against shopping around for a new deal if he needs to.

Bottas knows that in order to secure his future in the sport, he needs to start this season well.

In 2023 he did just that, finishing eighth in Bahrain to earn four precious points for Alfa Romeo.

Unfortunately, that was his joint-best finish of the year, matching that result in Qatar alongside two tenth-place finishes in Canada and Monza.

Bottas knows F1 future relies on strong start to 2024

Talking about his long-term plans, Bottas said: “Of course, I would like to have a good start to the year because I would ideally have things fixed for the future earlier rather than later in the season because it can always become a bit of a distraction.

“But it is not really a new situation for me so I think it should be good to try and do my best and eventually there will be a time to talk to the team and we will see.”

Bottas is an incredibly reliable driver and there’s a reason why Mercedes trusted him to be Lewis Hamilton’s teammate during one of the most one-sided periods in F1 history.

While he’s only earned 10 race wins during his career, his 67 podiums highlight that in a good car, he’ll deliver good results.

It’s why Bottas knows he’s got a future in Formula 1 still but with so many drivers on the market this year, he’s been around long enough to know that a strong start could make a key difference.

He’s in a very different moment in his career to teammate Zhou Guanyu who has the potential to get better.

But right now he’s struggling to show his stand out and ultimately that might cost the Chinese driver a career in F1.