‘Phenomenal’ driver could cost himself a 2025 Formula 1 seat by demanding ‘too much money’

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Red Bull, RB and Sauber are the three teams still involved in the 2025 Formula 1 driver market. Eight months since Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, the first of the year, the grid is still only 70% complete.

Naturally, the RB line-up will be dictated by what happens at Red Bull. Having replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the final six races, Liam Lawson has a chance take Sergio Perez’s drive if he compares well with Yuki Tsunoda.

Red Bull may also decide to retain Perez alongside Max Verstappen, and give Lawson a full season at RB. That would mean disappointment for Isack Hadjar, the F2 star hoping for a chance at the highest level.

The race for the Sauber seat is even more open, with four drivers in the frame. With teammate Zhou Guanyu set to become a reserve driver in 2025, Valtteri Bottas leads the race to partner Nico Hulkenberg.

Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto have been linked with Sauber too. Since replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams, Colapinto has shown his ‘extraordinary’ talent, while McLaren junior Bortoleto is battling Hadjar for the F2 title.

However, Audi don’t seem keen on the prospect of loaning a driver from another team. As a result, Mick Schumacher is back in contention as an alternative to Bottas, having lost his spot at Haas at the end of 2022.

Valtteri Bottas has contract on the table but Audi don’t want to meet salary demands

According to BILD, Sauber had already ‘prepared’ a contract to keep Bottas for another year. Bottas initially demanded a multi-year deal but Audi were only ready to give him 12 months ahead of their full-scale F1 entry in 2026.

The problem now, though, is that Bottas is ‘gambling for too much money’. He knows a manufacturing giant is coming in and can point to a CV that features 240 race starts, 10 race wins and 67 podiums.

However, Sauber may feel that now is not the time to be handing out pay rises. They are rapidly running out of time to score a point in 2024.

Mattia Binotto had stopped considering Schumacher, but the German could be ‘back in the game’ if Bottas holds firm. If he compromises, then ‘Mick is out’.

Former Sauber engineer raves about one ‘phenomenal’ Valtteri Bottas attribute

Audi have ‘marketing’ concerns around Bottas, according to one insider. Placing him next to a 37-year-old Hulkenberg would give them the oldest driver line-up in F1.

As such, Bottas may not ‘fit the image’ for a team who want to build an exciting long-term project. Many would see him as the conservative choice.

It’s difficult to tell whether the Finn is past his best. He’s outperformed Zhou this season, the only real benchmark given Sauber’s woes.

The team’s former strategist Ruth Buscombe has raved about Bottas’ ‘phenomenal’ tyre management. That’s the kind of area where his experience is valuable, and where a rookie like Colapinto or Bortoleto may need time to develop.