‘Perfect’ F1 driver who ‘ticks all the boxes’ now favourite to sign for Williams

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Although the action on the track at the British Grand Prix has been thrilling so far, there are still a lot of twists and turns taking place in the paddock with one eye on next season.

There are just a handful of seats still available for 2025 and after Haas confirmed the signing of Oliver Bearman, at least one current driver will miss out on a spot on the grid next year.

READ MORE: Every confirmed driver for the 2025 Formula 1 season

One of the teams still trying to decide on their final line-up for next season is Williams.

Alex Albon has already had his contract renewed, but team principal James Vowles is having more trouble securing a second driver.

At one point, it appeared as though Carlos Sainz was the Thai driver’s most likely teammate.

However, Alpine have made an improved offer for his services and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hasn’t ruled out a move for Sainz either.

It means Williams are looking elsewhere and a report from the Italian outlet Formu1a Uno has shared who the new favourite for the drive is.

As frustrating as the last few weeks have been for Williams, the drivers who still have an uncertain future in the sport are in an equally awkward position.

It now appears as though Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas is the favourite to sign for Williams next year.

His chances of staying at Sauber for 2025 look incredibly small despite their difficulties in finding a teammate for Nico Hulkenberg.

It means he’s open to a move elsewhere and a return to the team that introduced him to Formula 1 now looks more and more likely.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

Valtteri Bottas now the favourite for 2025 Williams seat

The report from Formu1a Uno suggests that Bottas has known for some time that he’s unlikely to be involved at Sauber next season.

While Sainz was initially the team’s first choice, there is frustration at Wiliams about how long he’s taking to decide on his next step.

James Vowles is desperate to bring in a driver who is committed to the long-term future of the team and that may not suit Sainz either who would prefer a short-term fix that allows him to explore his options elsewhere.

Valtteri Bottas therefore ‘ticks all the boxes’ for Williams due to his experience and his desire to secure a future beyond the end of next season on the grid.

Bottas is well known for wanting to sign multi-year contracts, something he never really had the luxury of at Mercedes but Alfa Romeo at the time were willing to offer him in 2022.

That relationship appears to be coming to an end and it’s now expected that talks will ‘ramp up’ in the coming weeks as teams hope to secure their favoured driving options as quickly as possible.

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

Valtteri Bottas appears to be the perfect fit for Williams

James Vowles has worked with Bottas before and previously described him as ‘perfect’ during their time at Mercedes together.

He’s an expert at delivering concise and accurate feedback to engineers and that will help a Williams team who have only scored points at one race this season.

The Williams is a more balanced car than last year and Vowles seems confident that they’re going in the right direction.

And while they have not experienced the troughs in performance that they did in 2023, the changes they’ve made have also cut out the peaks that helped them score points at tracks that suited their car.

While these things won’t particularly concern Bottas given he would only be driving the 2025 car before the regulations change, the steps forward Williams have taken this year are clear, even if they haven’t been converted into points.