Valtteri Bottas bids farewell to F1
The phrase *”What’s Next?”* appears on his helmet and the clothing he has worn around the paddock in recent weeks. Not that there’s much doubt about Valtteri Bottas’s future: his return to Mercedes as a reserve driver seems almost certain, especially now that Mick Schumacher’s departure is official and Toto Wolff’s team is actively seeking a third driver for simulator duties and as a backup for the main drivers. In Abu Dhabi, where his three years with Sauber come to an end, Bottas admitted he made a mistake in choosing which technical project to join after leaving Brackley.
Abu Dhabi, a bitter farewell for Valtteri Bottas
“If I could go back three years,” Valtteri Bottas told the Finnish newspaper *Ilta Sanomat* about Sauber, “I think I’d choose to go somewhere else. Unfortunately, that’s the truth. It was a big mistake, but some things are hard to predict in advance. Plus, the first year with Vasseur went well. The team spirit was good, and the results were there. But over the last two seasons, it’s been a continuous decline, and this has obviously affected my image as a driver. If you can’t achieve certain results, your name eventually gets forgotten.”
Valtteri’s future in F1
Results that now seem to be coming, albeit too late to change the narrative. “In qualifying,” Valtteri Bottas told *Viaplay* before delivering one of the season’s most disappointing races, “I think I put together one of the best laps of my career. It’s a bit of a shame it happened so late in the season and that the things we tried only started working now. It’s a somewhat ironic ending, perhaps. Still, looking at the season overall, I’d say it’s good that our paths are diverging now.
The future? Next week, plans for 2025 are expected to be finalized. For now, we’ll finish the work at hand, and then focus on what’s ahead. I feel like I’m not done with this sport yet and still have something to offer. That’s why I’ve decided to keep going…”
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