Ruth Buscombe Divey shares ‘profound’ message Valtteri Bottas said in his first Sauber race briefing

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Valtteri Bottas is set to leave Sauber at the end of the season having failed to reach an agreement to continue at the team following a disappointing year.

Sauber is the only team on the grid yet to score a point in 2024, having suffered a difficult start to the season when they had a problem with their pit stops that was not solved for the first four races.

Despite bringing regular upgrades to their car, they have consistently been unable to make it out of Q1 with Bottas and Zhou Guanyu at the wheel. The Chinese driver had some dismal races this season, notably at the US GP when he finished last and a lap down.

Zhou will also leave the team at the end of the season but has claimed that he plans to stay in the F1 paddock and is currently assessing his options.

Bottas will likely struggle to find a seat in the future, having achieved 10 wins and 20 poles in his F1 career that started in the 2013 season. Former Sauber strategist, Ruth Buscombe Divey, shared a message Bottas said in his first race briefing in a tribute to the Finn on Instagram.

Ruth Buscombe Divey shares ‘profound’ Valtteri Bottas message that ‘shocked’ Sauber

Bottas’ highest finish with Sauber came during his debut with the team in Bahrain when he finished sixth and achieved the same feat in Spain a few months later.

Buscombe Divey worked with Bottas before leaving the team last season and was a key member of the strategy team, recalling a moment that ‘shocked’ the team during a drivers briefing.

“This is the end of an era but I know it’s not the end of either of your tours. We never give up,” wrote Buscombe.

“As VB said in our first ever race briefing (and we were all shocked including VB at how profound it came out): Do not set a limit on what you can achieve.”

Valtteri Bottas ‘expected to pursue’ alternative F1 role

Now that Bottas has been released by Sauber, there is a lot of speculation over what his next move will be and whether it involves another F1 team.

After the news was confirmed, journalist Lawrence Barretto said the Finn is ‘expected to pursue’ a reserve role within his former team Mercedes for 2025.

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Bottas last competed with Mercedes during the 2021 season and was key to ensuring they won the Constructors’ Championship that year with his consistency.

With him no longer on the grid, it will be the first time F1 has not had a Finn on the grid since the 1988 season.