Valtteri Bottas hopes that the arrival of Mattia Binotto at Sauber/Audi will increase his chances of signing a contract with the team for 2025. In Zandvoort, the Finnish racer explained at what stage the negotiations are.
Valtteri Bottas: “After Spa, Mattia and I spoke briefly, and this week the conversation continued. This is the situation at the moment. The fact that Carlos signed for Williams means that there is one less contender for the job. I think this increases my chances.
For the past six months I have felt that working with me is not a priority for the team. They signed a contract with the first driver, after which the management started exploring all available options and minimal contact with me. But now it feels like everything has changed.
The team has been rebooted and a clear leadership structure has been established – it is now clear who is responsible for what. I think this is a positive step forward. Mattia came to us from a very successful team. He knows what it takes to succeed and that is good for the future.
He knows me a little bit, but now we are getting to know each other better. In the past we were rivals because I drove for Mercedes and he drove for Ferrari. Mattia treats me with respect, and I respect him. This is a good starting point for negotiations.”
Asked when a contract decision could be made, Valtteri said: “It’s August, September is coming soon. I think the sooner we decide, the better it will be for everyone. Everyone agrees with that, but sometimes it happens like that.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
