What Valtteri Bottas has said about his future that suggests he’s staying in Formula 1 next year

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Mattia Binotto has arrived to lead the Audi Formula 1 project with plenty on his plate to work through before they make their debut in 2026.

Audi take over from the current Sauber team who are in a world of trouble having failed to score a point so far this season.

Valtteri Bottas is a multiple-race winner in Formula 1 but hasn’t even come close to scoring points this year.

He sits bottom of the Drivers’ Championship below Logan Sargeant who was dropped by Williams for his poor performances and hasn’t been on the grid for the last two Grand Prix.

Bottas’s teammate Zhou Guanyu might be ahead of him in the standings but only because he came within one place of scoring points at the opening race in Baku before falling to the back of the grid.

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

Zhou is expected to become an F1 reserve driver next year but Bottas appears to have a better chance of staying on the grid.

Speaking on the RacingNews365 Podcast, journalist Ian Parkes highlighted what he heard from the Finnish driver that suggests he may be about to receive some good news about his future.

Bottas has been said to be very close to staying at Sauber in 2025 but until a contract is signed, nothing is set in stone.

Two young drivers are working hard to spoil those plans but the Finn is beginning to indicate that his time in Formula 1 might not be coming to an end just yet.

What Valtteri Bottas has said that suggests he’s staying in Formula 1 next season

Talking about the battle for the second Sauber seat, Parkes said: “It looks like it is a three-way battle for that second Stake seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg.

“Valtteri Bottas was talking really positively going into the Baku weekend that pretty much he’d stopped all talks with any other series because the indicator was that he might get that second seat.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber from team principal to Audi future

“But then of course, we’ve talked about Bortoleto having a fabulous season in F2 when all of a sudden, Colapinto’s come on the radar, delivered these two performances over these two weekends and Baku in particular where he most definitely did shine in qualifying and the Grand Prix.

“As I say, is Mattia Binotto now scratching his head thinking, actually there might just be something in this guy.

“So, is he now going to delay his decision even longer and give it a few more Grand Prix?”

Who is Valtteri Bottas competing against for the 2025 Sauber seat?

Sauber being one of the last teams to confirm their driver line-up highlights that it’s far from the most desirable team on the grid.

However, it does provide Binotto with a better idea of which drivers are available to partner with Hulkenberg next year.

Bottas does seem like the most obvious choice given his experience and as the most successful driver who is set to become a free agent next year.

Two young drivers – McLaren junior Gabriel Bortoleto and Williams youngster Franco Colapinto – are also being considered by the team.

Andrea Stella would let Bortoleto join Sauber on loan, as a seat at McLaren is unlikely to open up for some time.

Colapinto already knows his seat at Williams next year isn’t available with Carlos Sainz arriving, but Binotto has to be watching Colapinto’s cameos and wondering if he’s the right choice after scoring points in Baku.