Has Sauber/Audi already signed a contract with Bottas?

The Swiss tabloid Blick is keeping a close eye on the situation with the remaining vacancy at Sauber/Audi and on the one hand tries not to miss any of the upcoming versions, while on the other hand motorsport reporter Roger Benoit constantly criticizes the team for its lack of faith in youth.

The following text from Benoit, sent to the editor from the paddock at Singapore’s Marina Bay circuit, is much the same in mood and begins with a paragraph worth quoting in full:

“Did you know that Bottas’ contract has been extended for another year?” – the head of one of the teams asked a Blick correspondent during a break between Friday training sessions. When this very authoritative person opens up to you, he is (unfortunately) completely trustworthy.

It was he who, during the weekend in Montreal in 2022, confidentially informed Blick that Audi was preparing for a partnership with Sauber. And although many denied it, the future alliance was officially announced five months later.”

It’s unclear when Bottas will be announced as Nico Hulkenberg’s teammate next year, but the gist of the Blick text is that we should expect exactly such news. It’s a sad story, given that other teams rely on youth – Mercedes, Haas and Alpine, where Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Berman and Jack Douhan will race in 2025 respectively – but Sauber has opted to keep veteran Bottas in the team, whose motivation is that fans have doubts.

Of course, for now this is just another rumor round, but if all is so, the logic of the decision of the new team management in the person of Mattia Binotto can be understood. Now the Sauber car is the slowest in the championship, and it is unlikely that any noticeable progress will be made next season, but the experience of Hulkenberg and Bottas (together they have already driven almost 500 Grands Prix) will be very useful for Audi as it prepares for 2026.