Why Valtteri Bottas could be sitting in Formula 1’s golden seat
F1 News
Valtteri Bottas signed his first multi-year contract in Formula 1 as he moved away from Mercedes and into the Alfa Romeo seat. That signing came with a lot of delight as it released pressure from his shoulders almost immediately. But perhaps, little did he know whilst waiting for the ink to dry, he could’ve been securing one of the most sought-after seats in Formula 1.
That contract dropped him down the field to Alfa Romeo who are currently fighting for sixth place with Aston Martin. As it happens Mercedes are only three places higher this season, but it feels like a more significant drop after Bottas helped win every constructors’ World Championship between 2017 and 2021.
But all is set to change at his current team. Audi are coming into Formula 1 and on Wednesday they announced they will become a works team after sorting out a deal with Sauber. There is hardly any precedent in F1 regarding Audi, certainly not in recent history. But there’s a strong reason to get excited and motivated if you’re Bottas. Audi love success. They know the recipe. They have the history. In Le Mans, Audi reeled off 13 victories in 15 years. Alongside Mercedes, they are the most successful team in DTM history with 12 championships. Therefore their arrival in Formula 1 brings a high expectation of success. They won’t be joining just to make up the numbers.
Bottas in line?
It’s a long time away. Audi won’t arrive fully in Formula 1 until the new engine rules and regulations are introduced in 2026. Around three and a half years time. This will make Bottas an experienced 36-year-old on the grid at the start of that season.
Whilst Sebastian Vettel is walking away at the age of 35, it’s nowhere near beyond the reals of possibility to continue beyond. Kimi Raikkonen only finished racing at the end of the 2021 season, whilst Fernando Alonso has just signed a new multi-year deal with Aston Martin at the age of 41. Lewis Hamilton, who turns 38 in January, isn’t looking to slow down any time soon either.
Speaking of Hamilton, it was never a surprise or shock to see Bottas qualify in front of his former teammate at Mercedes. In the 100 Grands Prix the drivers shared as teammates, Bottas started ahead of Hamilton 31 times including 20 pole positions. Not a bad record against a seven-time World Champion.
Still, Bottas needed to escape the Mercedes environment for his own good. At Alfa Romeo, he is sitting 10th in the World Championship after scoring nearly 90% of the team's points tally. Doing that against a rookie isn't much of a surprise, but Bottas managed to impress by keeping his Q3 streak alive. Out of the first six races, Bottas started in the top ten on five occasions. He scored points in the first five races he finished.
A few DNF’s through no fault of his own and less development from Alfa Romeo stalled his progress through the second half of the season. Perhaps Ferrari had to turn down the engines as they identified an issue. Overall, it’s been a solid season from Bottas and there should be no doubts about his immediate future. He will have to continue this form through the next three seasons, but as it stands there’s no reason to remove him.
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Will Audi want to keep him?
However, one ingredient is missing. Bottas isn’t German. Audi have historically liked to place German drivers in their cars. Fans have called for Vettel to come back, but that is extremely unlikely given his current stance. Mick Schumacher perhaps has a saving grace in his Formula 1 career. That being said if Audi want to have a German driver, they need to take a youngster under their wing right now. David Beckmann hasn’t exactly set the world alight with his performances in Formula 2. Sadly, Formula 3 is also looking light on the German driver front as well. In a longer piece, we examined the future of German drivers.
Either way, it’s enough to keep Bottas motivated. If he keeps performing like he does and Audi live up to expectations by delivering a good car, then Bottas could rise back to the top almost by default. Perhaps Bottas is in the future golden seat.