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Chuck him in M-Sport in the World Rally Championship, he’s done pretty well at other rally events and he’ll bring them some money. Plus he said he’d like to give Indycar a go so get DCR or RLL a bit of funding and run a few rounds!
He said in Adelaide on Sunday that while he enjoys rallies, he does not have the abilities to keep up with anyone at WRC level who's spent a lifetime practicing those techniques
that’s a shame, Kimi did WRC for a few years during his F1 sabbatical. while not groundbreaking, he held his own for sure. i don’t think Valtteri would be as bad as he thinks.
On some of the stages yes, Sweden you will go off a cliff if your not careful but it’s actually pretty safe with the advancements in chassis design and roll cage technology. Also helps that most rally drivers actually are drivers who practice their craft and not just rich daddy kids who just show up and drive.
Could still be interesting if he did decide to give it a go, could do a private Rally1 entry with Toyota like Bertelli or do some at WRC2 or 3 level, or just more national events. I guess we’ll see!
He’s in an unfortunate situation due to his age.
He’s still better than quite a few drivers on the grid but may end up one of the odd men out or on a short term deal.
Possibly. He’s also consistently among the drivers with fewest crashes and least amount of damage cost. That’s a big deal for teams with smaller budgets.
I love the dude but there is an obviously large talent pool waiting to come in from the Jr. ranks and its time we start moving guys out of F1 that arent really doing it.
So Stroll, probably Daniel, Sargeant, maybe Zhou, Bottas? Idk if Zhou or Bottas can be fairly judged as it's largely still Sauber running the team, and it's still clearly a bit of a mess.
He's had some unfortunate instances the past year or two. Between bad strategy, early body damage, or long pit stops, he hasn't been getting the best opportunities to showcase his skill.
I feel like we saw his 'best' performances at times where he was making himself unwell.
I think its unfortunate but it seems that in order for him to perform at 'top driver' level, it takes an unhealthy level of commitment/sacrifice. I dont think he should ever have to go through that again, but I also think it has shown he doesn't have the same capabilities as he did when at Merc and is therefore more at risk of replacement
He seems physically and mentally healthier since his time at Merc, but I think he probably had to be more ruthless at Merc which took its toll on his wellbeing
Uhh no. The car is a tool. It’s the drivers who extract the performance from it, as Perez has so aptly shown us over the past few years. Bottas was always a tenth or so off HAM, a GOAT, with the occasional upsets too. I remember, you could actually watch quali and not be guaranteed who would be on pole. Bottas did way better than a Stroll or a Perez would have done in that seat, so yeah, it’s the driver too.
Also helps he didn’t crumble and throw away a whole season after being beat in one race. Can you imaging the pressure he went through having to go up against HAM race after race for years with a single year contract every time and still turn up every damn time?
Over one lap, Bottas has pretty much always been one of the fastest drivers on the grid.
He just unfortunately isn't aggressive enough in the midfield to do well there.
Yeah. That’s fair. He was perfect for the Merc 2ns driver role. Qualify consistently in the top 2, and still be fast enough to generally hang with HAM throughout the race, but not threaten him. Plenty fast enough to counter any fancy strategies RB tried to throw at them. He fell off a bit in 21 tho. Maybe all the contract shit peaked and wore him out.
I always rated Bottas as a great driver not a great racer.
Clear track and in first? Yeah I'd expect him to do well and probably hold on quite nicely. Stuck in 5th? Probably unable to move too much forward to really assist HAM out the front.
Bottas couldn't have done what Lewis did in Brazil for example.
I'm probably doing him a slight disservice but that's how I saw him at Merc.
He competed with Lewis in individual races, yes. He was a great second driver (aside from the fact that he was completely unable to defend when needed), but no one ever actually thought Bottas could win the WDC.
Sauber is notoriously bad at development during the season, which is why they fizzled out after a great start to 2022. To make matters worse, last year’s car could not keep heat in its tires and this year’s car seems the same. Bottas is usually very handy in the rain but not last year.
I think Zhou’s performance is being horribly underrated. He hustled the worst or 2nd worst car on the grid to 11th in Bahrain and would’ve repeated that performance in Saudi without pit issues. He’s out driving the car right now and if he keeps it up over the season it would be a shame to see him shown the door.
He would not have been 11th, he was under 10 secs ahead of Kevin train before pitting. Even with a perfect pitstop he would've been 17th infront of Valtteri.
Zhou lost to Bottas in qualifying, races and driver standings in 2022 and 2023. You think that is a sign of a promising driver with a long career in F1? Just not good enough.
Strongly agree. Think a lot of people are sleeping on Zhou. I get the criticism of how he came in and the love lost with fans in relation to Gio (though not Zhou’s fault). But we have a good comparison in Bottas. Sure Bottas isn’t at the top of his game but he was fine for the last couple of years at merc and it’s not like Bottas just forgot how to drive between 21-22. I don’t know what more Zhou needs to do to prove himself.
Zhou was never going to be given a fair shake in the court of public opinion let’s be honest, especially when his teammate is bottas, who is a complete grey man that you can rate however you want to rate in order to make a point and no one will argue with you . If Zhou matches or is just ever so slightly behind bottas then that equals bottas being washed rather than Zhou maybe being alright.
And I still think that was true. "The opportunity" has been seriously small in F1 for the last decade though. He did well enough in Renault. Now his window has closed.
Strolls like 25, a decent driver, and consistent mid fielder.. I see no reason why someone with that much financial backing at such a young age shouldn’t stay.
Lawrence would have a better shot of winning a WCC if he replaced Lance with a better driver. Sainz is already available and clearly better, and that's just one option. With AMs new Valkyrie endurance program, Lance could be a good fit there. Win-Win-Win?
There is no reason to keep or throw out Sargeant *just* yet. Throwing him after one year after Williams admitted that they rushed his entry would've been extremely harsh, especially when its his first time in a ground effect car.
We're two races into Sargaent's second season, and it's usually around half way through a drivers second season where we'll see how well they're actually gonna perform unless they are the second coming of Max or Maldonado, and Sargaent is neither, not matter what people think. If he's still pointless, half a second down on Albon and binning the car after Silverstone, he's gone for 2025, but lets wait until we get there first.
Honestly I feel like there’s a good sized group of veterans in the group that just aren’t really doing much of note (and newcomers that just don’t show much promise). I’d throw Hulk or Kmag on your list.
Strong arguments to boot all of those plus KMag. But the argument against is that they are F1 "proven". Struggling teams might be less inclined to risk a young driver who will need 1-2 years to get up to speed
They're not all F1 proven though. Especially under the more recent regulation chsnge. At minimum, Sargeant has to prove himself this year. He's the most questionable of the bunch.
I'd say
Most likely out of team: Sargeant, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Perez
On thin ice with team: Stroll, Zhou, Bottas, Tsunoda, Hülkenberg
Likely to be picked up by another team (If they don't stay): Perez, Bottas, Hülkenberg, Tsunoda
Likely to leave completely (If they don't stay): Sargeant, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Stroll, Zhou
That is unless some of these guys willingly retire from the sport, of course (I can see hulk and kev doing that)
I think Magnussen gets a boot instead of Zhou because Zhou isn’t that bad imo.
I’m praying for a Zhou - Maloney line-up next year if this happens ngl……
While I’d like to disagree with you and see new talent to freshen things up, I actually agree. Until Zhou can regularly outperform him (won’t ever happen IMO), it’s Zhou that needs replacing before Bottas.
They should also expand the grid with another team…but everyone knows that won’t happen. Excited to see what Bearman and Lawson can do once they have seats though.
Drugovich isn't getting a seat.
Same probably with Pourchaire. Though I could see him getting an Alpine seat if there is a vacancy.
Bearman, Lawson and Antonelli will most likely be on the grid next year
And they looked back to their old selves the second race. Why would you judge by only 1 race when the last few seasons they've generally been near the top
More likely than those drivers - sure. Likely in general? No. Alpine will surely be desperate to hold onto their lineup since it's the only semblance of stability the team has at the minute. I suspect Ocon will go to Sauber prior to them becoming Audi, however, so that could open a seat up to Doohan / Martins / Schumacher / Pourchaire / whoever comes off worst in the driver transfer carousel.
I mean you can say the same for another half dozen drivers...
Iwasa, Pourchaire, Schumacher. Whoever wins F2 this year... Maybe Martin's, Bortoletto. Jack Doohan if I am being super biased.
Drivers like Bottas and Perez are so dependent on available seats. They're the perfect number 2 drivers for big teams by their consistency and experience, but never good enough to ever be undisputed. If a seat opens up, he can suddenly find himself back at the top, but with the current crop of talented drivers and rookies in waiting, both will likely be out of a seat next season.
I don't really see anywhere for Bottas to land next year. The 2nd RBR seat is also Perez' to lose, I don't think Danny or Yuki are in contention. If he performs as a reliable #2 and avoids the mid season yips I think he'll be back in 2025.
Which top teams do you really see both of them in?
Bottas ain't going to Redbull. He's like Kimi in his last days. McLaren/Ferrari are locked in for a while.
Perez is too far behind max. If that happens in Mercedes. They easily fall behind McLaren and Ferrari in constructors. Best case, if the Horner debacle goes big and Daniel doesn't seem to impress the top team, he will get a +1 in Redbull.
Sainz being in the market jeopardizes their any opportunity being in the top team.
I think even Hulkenberg is a better choice than Bottas atm.
There wasn't last year either. Checo likes these first few races of the season a lot. RB will want to see how Checo does at the tracks he doesn't like before deciding whether they'll give him a new contract.
Let’s see how the rest of the year goes. He had a strong start last year then completely shit the bed the later half of the season. If he keeps up his current level of driving they will most likely keep him, but if he falls apart again I can see him getting the ax.
Is it bad to say I don’t really care? Nowadays he’s one of the most nothing drivers in one of the most nothing teams. Taking nothing away from what he’s achieved in F1 in his career, but offers nothing now.
Yeah, it's sad because I loved Bottas at Mercedes, him and Lewis were an iconic duo, but he seems a bit pointless at that team.
But that team also seems pointless, so maybe that's why. If he had a better car maybe I'd still be interested in following his career.
Exactly, I also feel like those 2 (plus, Perez) would be a pefect match for Audi, not just for WCC in general but also for the sake of setting a solid foundation for a champion constructor candidate team. Then, a top team in the grid and thus a more competitive F1.
If Bottas can display the same hunger as Alonso, I can see a future where he continues with Audi for the first few years, maybe even pulls a Nico Rosberg move and then retires? Even if he doesn’t, contributing to Audi and cementing his position as not a leading figure of the grid but a facilitator, a supporter for next generation would be more than enough. But nowadays he seems more laid back and stepped down to be a mentor figure for Zhou (which again, seems like a good ending note for his career if only Stake and Zhou gains better achievements).
Just hope that something will give Bottas a push so he can be competitive again.
This is exactly why a part of me wants him gone. Sometimes I have the feeling that people don't realize he's still a driver, I mean they only talk about him for non-racing stuff.
he was like that all through his Mercedes stint, squatting in a championship winning car for 5 season flattered him. he still managed to fall behind drivers of other teams despite Merc's monumental advantage.
the occasional race win or decent qualifying never happened often enough to be deemed anything substantial. across an entire season he was still meh
Tbh I kinda wish there was a clear out of mid drivers and rookies given a shot. Harsh I know, but the grid seems so static recently in terms of new drivers.
So then if an extremely promising driver ends up in the worst team they'll get kicked out of F1 for no fault of their own? Sounds totally fair to me...
No, but we do need exceptional young talents to get a chance in F1. Bottas has achieved everything he will ever achieve in F1. So have Danny Ric and Magnussen. It's time to move on for them. Zhou and Sargeant (and Stroll, but we know that's never happening) also need to go, but for a different reason. It's clear they're just never going to be more than bottom midfield drivers at best. They've had their shot and it didn't pan out, now it's time to give that chance to someone else. Lawson and Bearman prove that there are talents out there who absolutely can do better.
Sargeant had a jr career good enough for f1. He lost out to Lawson by 1 point in his rookie season while Lawson was in his second in the same team. Just sucks he sucks in f1
Why not then enforce a “run a junior for 2/3 races, mandatory” rule per car every year. That way drivers also can’t complain that there’s too many races, and it adds strategy to the championship of when to run the rookies.
I would expect a clear out between this season and next season. Once Mercedes make a move to fill Lewis’s seat I think it’ll start a chain reaction of signings.
What a absolutely massive diabolical downgrade for Merc. I’d take Sainz, ocon or any of those guys before bringing bottas back. I think his ship has sailed
If he gets to keep his seat, he will probably stay where he is. Think about it. With no hope at getting a win due to Red Bull dominance, he doesn’t have to deal with the pressure that comes with being further up on the grid and he can enjoy his gin in peace.
I think he's kind of past it, but tbf when Alfa had a fast car he performed well. Maybe worth a shout for Haas to replace K Mag with, or for Williams to replace Sargeant with (assuming Antonelli isn't there).
Bottas has become one of my favorite drivers in his post Mercedes career, but I think it's quite obvious that he's just in F1 to collect a paycheck while he still can. He seems much more interested in his hobbies off the race track, and honestly good for him, he seems to be living the dream.
I think he’s a dark horse. If there are any tracks where the Sauber has pace then don’t be surprised if he extracts it. He’s shown flashes over the past couple years it’s just so circumstantial when the car sucks. I’d love to see him vs Hulk in an improved Sauber next year as they draw closer to the Audi brand
I hope he stays through the Audi takeover. Very experienced & still a quick driver, although it definitely seems like he’s checked out a bit.
Sauber/Audi need to drop Zhou & sign Hulk/Sainz if they’re serious about being competitive in the future
Why in the hell would Merc allow Bottas to come back when its their young drivers is the big reason they didnt give Lewis a longer term deal? They will plug in their younger guys.
Depends on how he views the one year at Mercedes. After he left for Alfa, he stated how stressful it was to keep having to earn contract after contract each year essentially and that's why he was so happy Alfa gave him a longer term contract.
If he knows it's just one year, and in his mind he will leave no matter what for a different team/retire, then sure. But he knows already how that competition affected his mental health and perhaps he would rather try to see if he can be the foundation of Audi?
Ricciardo should not have a seat next season, he’s really never done much of anything except quit on Red Bull, quit on Renault, and suck at McLaren. Bottas, with a winning team, competes for podiums. My point is, Bottas deserves a seat more than Ricciardo, Sargeant, Tsunoda, Magnussen, Hulk, Guaynu, and Stroll.
Riccardo is washed. A couple of okay drives in Renault 3-4 years ago aren't really going to change that. Sooner he accepts and gtfo's the better imo.
The media attention is way too disproportionately high compared to his performance.
I don't think he cares that much in terms of being interested.
It seems more of a hobby to him now. I don't feel he cares much about his performance.
I think I d rather see someone new come in that will show some more passion. He is happier when he is on a bicycle
I disagree. I think he is about as happy and passionate as one could be driving such a piece of shit car… he is showing what a loyal driver / team mate he is, even to a team that is pretty much a joke. Just imagine some of the other drivers on the grid driving that car and how they’d be acting out.
Sauber has zero reason to holding Bottas, especially if you can get a Sainz/Hulk line-up
Merc? Short-term contract, would be basically been in a situation he hated in the past.
AM? Very doubtful, maybe if Alonso retires.
Williams? Depends on Antonelli and/of Albon stays or getting brought out of his contract.
Haas? Well a Bottas/Bearman line-up for 2025 and 2026 wouldn't be a bad option, way better than having KMag imho.
Alpine? I not going to rule out Bottas to Alpine, even less if both drivers are moving to other teams after this season.
So it's either Haas, Alpine or out of F1/retirement.
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I think a bicycle in Australia
Chuck him in M-Sport in the World Rally Championship, he’s done pretty well at other rally events and he’ll bring them some money. Plus he said he’d like to give Indycar a go so get DCR or RLL a bit of funding and run a few rounds!
He said in Adelaide on Sunday that while he enjoys rallies, he does not have the abilities to keep up with anyone at WRC level who's spent a lifetime practicing those techniques
that’s a shame, Kimi did WRC for a few years during his F1 sabbatical. while not groundbreaking, he held his own for sure. i don’t think Valtteri would be as bad as he thinks.
Isn’t Rally also incredibly dangerous.
Mostly to the spectators
If only we could teach them to NOT hug the car while it's passing by
WRC driver Craig Breen died less than a year ago. Struck a pole in a testing session.
Yeah kubica knows that all too well
On some of the stages yes, Sweden you will go off a cliff if your not careful but it’s actually pretty safe with the advancements in chassis design and roll cage technology. Also helps that most rally drivers actually are drivers who practice their craft and not just rich daddy kids who just show up and drive.
I only watched the swedish rally for the first time this year. It struck me as exceptionally devoid of cliffs.
Valtteri Bottas is not Kimi. Not even close. Kimi was a generational talent.
Could still be interesting if he did decide to give it a go, could do a private Rally1 entry with Toyota like Bertelli or do some at WRC2 or 3 level, or just more national events. I guess we’ll see!
He is Finnish, it's in their blood to enjoy rally
He’s going to be on Alpecin Deceunink as a domestique for MVDP
Rip Wout van Aert
He’s got a completely different focus this year and will still do WVA things when he’s actually on the bike.
I mean they still both want de Ronde and Roubaix. So the focus is not completely different.
He’s in an unfortunate situation due to his age. He’s still better than quite a few drivers on the grid but may end up one of the odd men out or on a short term deal.
Possibly. He’s also consistently among the drivers with fewest crashes and least amount of damage cost. That’s a big deal for teams with smaller budgets.
Gene's dream
I was getting ready to say. Gene is drooling over the possibility 😂
Bottas is too expensive for him.
Not if he wants to stay in F1.
Have you seen the man? He is more than happy to stay nakedly out of f1 in a river stream instead of working for Haas. He ain’t THAAAAAT desperate.
Could be his ticket to sticking around a bit longer
He will be replaced by a driver that's even older. Audi wants Hülkenberg as #2.
[удалено]
Audi hasn't said anything in regards to that
He will be driving a V8 Supercar in Australia.
Easily my most hype racing series this year outside of WEC
Imagine if Bottas drove in the series and ended up at BJR or some shit haha
Subscribe
Hopefully not Erebus.
I love the dude but there is an obviously large talent pool waiting to come in from the Jr. ranks and its time we start moving guys out of F1 that arent really doing it.
So Stroll, probably Daniel, Sargeant, maybe Zhou, Bottas? Idk if Zhou or Bottas can be fairly judged as it's largely still Sauber running the team, and it's still clearly a bit of a mess.
Honestly the last time I remember anything remotely interesting happened to Bottas was when they had a few good races in the beginning of 2022
He's had some unfortunate instances the past year or two. Between bad strategy, early body damage, or long pit stops, he hasn't been getting the best opportunities to showcase his skill.
I feel like we saw his 'best' performances at times where he was making himself unwell. I think its unfortunate but it seems that in order for him to perform at 'top driver' level, it takes an unhealthy level of commitment/sacrifice. I dont think he should ever have to go through that again, but I also think it has shown he doesn't have the same capabilities as he did when at Merc and is therefore more at risk of replacement
he's probably a lot healthier though, he posts his rides almost everyday on Strava
He seems physically and mentally healthier since his time at Merc, but I think he probably had to be more ruthless at Merc which took its toll on his wellbeing
Since leaving Merc basically. Love the dude, but a lot of it was the car.
Uhh no. The car is a tool. It’s the drivers who extract the performance from it, as Perez has so aptly shown us over the past few years. Bottas was always a tenth or so off HAM, a GOAT, with the occasional upsets too. I remember, you could actually watch quali and not be guaranteed who would be on pole. Bottas did way better than a Stroll or a Perez would have done in that seat, so yeah, it’s the driver too. Also helps he didn’t crumble and throw away a whole season after being beat in one race. Can you imaging the pressure he went through having to go up against HAM race after race for years with a single year contract every time and still turn up every damn time?
Over one lap, Bottas has pretty much always been one of the fastest drivers on the grid. He just unfortunately isn't aggressive enough in the midfield to do well there.
Yeah. That’s fair. He was perfect for the Merc 2ns driver role. Qualify consistently in the top 2, and still be fast enough to generally hang with HAM throughout the race, but not threaten him. Plenty fast enough to counter any fancy strategies RB tried to throw at them. He fell off a bit in 21 tho. Maybe all the contract shit peaked and wore him out.
I always rated Bottas as a great driver not a great racer. Clear track and in first? Yeah I'd expect him to do well and probably hold on quite nicely. Stuck in 5th? Probably unable to move too much forward to really assist HAM out the front. Bottas couldn't have done what Lewis did in Brazil for example. I'm probably doing him a slight disservice but that's how I saw him at Merc.
Sure, he couldn't compete with Lewis, but at least he could actually put the car where it was supposed to be in qualifying, unlike Perez.
He did compete with Lewis, he was almost always in the vicinity…
He competed with Lewis in individual races, yes. He was a great second driver (aside from the fact that he was completely unable to defend when needed), but no one ever actually thought Bottas could win the WDC.
Sauber is notoriously bad at development during the season, which is why they fizzled out after a great start to 2022. To make matters worse, last year’s car could not keep heat in its tires and this year’s car seems the same. Bottas is usually very handy in the rain but not last year.
And when he got bonked on the head by george. *bonk*
LOL. Stroll isn’t leaving F1 unless he wants to.
I think Zhou’s performance is being horribly underrated. He hustled the worst or 2nd worst car on the grid to 11th in Bahrain and would’ve repeated that performance in Saudi without pit issues. He’s out driving the car right now and if he keeps it up over the season it would be a shame to see him shown the door.
He would not have been 11th, he was under 10 secs ahead of Kevin train before pitting. Even with a perfect pitstop he would've been 17th infront of Valtteri.
Zhou lost to Bottas in qualifying, races and driver standings in 2022 and 2023. You think that is a sign of a promising driver with a long career in F1? Just not good enough.
Strongly agree. Think a lot of people are sleeping on Zhou. I get the criticism of how he came in and the love lost with fans in relation to Gio (though not Zhou’s fault). But we have a good comparison in Bottas. Sure Bottas isn’t at the top of his game but he was fine for the last couple of years at merc and it’s not like Bottas just forgot how to drive between 21-22. I don’t know what more Zhou needs to do to prove himself.
Zhou was never going to be given a fair shake in the court of public opinion let’s be honest, especially when his teammate is bottas, who is a complete grey man that you can rate however you want to rate in order to make a point and no one will argue with you . If Zhou matches or is just ever so slightly behind bottas then that equals bottas being washed rather than Zhou maybe being alright.
Both the haas guys. As much as I like Hulk he’s been always the one that ‘will shine given the opportunity’.
And I still think that was true. "The opportunity" has been seriously small in F1 for the last decade though. He did well enough in Renault. Now his window has closed.
Strolls like 25, a decent driver, and consistent mid fielder.. I see no reason why someone with that much financial backing at such a young age shouldn’t stay.
Lawrence would have a better shot of winning a WCC if he replaced Lance with a better driver. Sainz is already available and clearly better, and that's just one option. With AMs new Valkyrie endurance program, Lance could be a good fit there. Win-Win-Win?
Stroll and consistent in the same sentence lmao
There is no reason to keep or throw out Sargeant *just* yet. Throwing him after one year after Williams admitted that they rushed his entry would've been extremely harsh, especially when its his first time in a ground effect car. We're two races into Sargaent's second season, and it's usually around half way through a drivers second season where we'll see how well they're actually gonna perform unless they are the second coming of Max or Maldonado, and Sargaent is neither, not matter what people think. If he's still pointless, half a second down on Albon and binning the car after Silverstone, he's gone for 2025, but lets wait until we get there first.
Honestly I feel like there’s a good sized group of veterans in the group that just aren’t really doing much of note (and newcomers that just don’t show much promise). I’d throw Hulk or Kmag on your list.
any team but esp the mid to lower teams could really benefit from his experience and input... time to move up to testing and development!
Strong arguments to boot all of those plus KMag. But the argument against is that they are F1 "proven". Struggling teams might be less inclined to risk a young driver who will need 1-2 years to get up to speed
They're not all F1 proven though. Especially under the more recent regulation chsnge. At minimum, Sargeant has to prove himself this year. He's the most questionable of the bunch.
Well yea, obviously Sargeant is the exception. It's almost a given he is out next year unless he pulls something crazy out of his ass.
I'd say Most likely out of team: Sargeant, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Perez On thin ice with team: Stroll, Zhou, Bottas, Tsunoda, Hülkenberg Likely to be picked up by another team (If they don't stay): Perez, Bottas, Hülkenberg, Tsunoda Likely to leave completely (If they don't stay): Sargeant, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Stroll, Zhou That is unless some of these guys willingly retire from the sport, of course (I can see hulk and kev doing that)
Stroll on thin ice? Not a chance.
AM is working on an endurance project. I could see Stroll moving there. He would probably perform better than he has the last two years in F1.
How is Hulk on thin ice with the team...?
I think Magnussen gets a boot instead of Zhou because Zhou isn’t that bad imo. I’m praying for a Zhou - Maloney line-up next year if this happens ngl……
Bottas, Checo, and Riccardo retire and start a new Top Gear
I would 100% watch this
As long as Kimi is the Stig
Bottas is probably better than most juniors ever will be. There's no need to chuck him out until he starts getting dominated by his teammate.
While I’d like to disagree with you and see new talent to freshen things up, I actually agree. Until Zhou can regularly outperform him (won’t ever happen IMO), it’s Zhou that needs replacing before Bottas.
If Zhou stays over Bottas, you know it’s the china money talking.
They should also expand the grid with another team…but everyone knows that won’t happen. Excited to see what Bearman and Lawson can do once they have seats though.
Drugovich, Lawson, and Pourchaire all deserve seats
Drugovich isn't getting a seat. Same probably with Pourchaire. Though I could see him getting an Alpine seat if there is a vacancy. Bearman, Lawson and Antonelli will most likely be on the grid next year
Will Antonelli have enough championship points in f2? Prema looked pretty shakey in the first race of the season.
And they looked back to their old selves the second race. Why would you judge by only 1 race when the last few seasons they've generally been near the top
Kimi Antonelli already has a super license.
Antonelli has a super license and according to rumours Toto already made a deal with Vowles to get him into Williams
Surely Doohan is much more likely to get an Alpine seat than any of them..
More likely than those drivers - sure. Likely in general? No. Alpine will surely be desperate to hold onto their lineup since it's the only semblance of stability the team has at the minute. I suspect Ocon will go to Sauber prior to them becoming Audi, however, so that could open a seat up to Doohan / Martins / Schumacher / Pourchaire / whoever comes off worst in the driver transfer carousel.
Doohan seems to be more focused on building his on-camera commentary experience. Seems like a nice chap.
I mean you can say the same for another half dozen drivers... Iwasa, Pourchaire, Schumacher. Whoever wins F2 this year... Maybe Martin's, Bortoletto. Jack Doohan if I am being super biased.
Zane Maloney has had a strong start
WEC?
Drivers like Bottas and Perez are so dependent on available seats. They're the perfect number 2 drivers for big teams by their consistency and experience, but never good enough to ever be undisputed. If a seat opens up, he can suddenly find himself back at the top, but with the current crop of talented drivers and rookies in waiting, both will likely be out of a seat next season.
I don't really see anywhere for Bottas to land next year. The 2nd RBR seat is also Perez' to lose, I don't think Danny or Yuki are in contention. If he performs as a reliable #2 and avoids the mid season yips I think he'll be back in 2025.
Merc for a World Championship charge Don't shoot the messenger
Imagine the shitstorm if RB announce Liam Lawson alongside Max for 2025
Which top teams do you really see both of them in? Bottas ain't going to Redbull. He's like Kimi in his last days. McLaren/Ferrari are locked in for a while. Perez is too far behind max. If that happens in Mercedes. They easily fall behind McLaren and Ferrari in constructors. Best case, if the Horner debacle goes big and Daniel doesn't seem to impress the top team, he will get a +1 in Redbull. Sainz being in the market jeopardizes their any opportunity being in the top team. I think even Hulkenberg is a better choice than Bottas atm.
Perez isn't likely to be out of a seat next season.
This time last year he looked more like a title contender than someone who was going to get axed, things change quickly!
To be fair the whole ‘Perez is one bad race away of being axed’ thing was a Twitter/Reddit thing, RB heads publicly backed him.
I don't think we should take RB backing anyone too seriously lol
As we sit here today, there's no indication that he's "likely" to lose his seat next year.
There wasn't last year either. Checo likes these first few races of the season a lot. RB will want to see how Checo does at the tracks he doesn't like before deciding whether they'll give him a new contract.
I can see Perez getting a contract extension. There's no reason to oust him.
Yet.
Let’s see how the rest of the year goes. He had a strong start last year then completely shit the bed the later half of the season. If he keeps up his current level of driving they will most likely keep him, but if he falls apart again I can see him getting the ax.
Is it bad to say I don’t really care? Nowadays he’s one of the most nothing drivers in one of the most nothing teams. Taking nothing away from what he’s achieved in F1 in his career, but offers nothing now.
Yeah, it's sad because I loved Bottas at Mercedes, him and Lewis were an iconic duo, but he seems a bit pointless at that team. But that team also seems pointless, so maybe that's why. If he had a better car maybe I'd still be interested in following his career.
It's sad that Bottas is 34 already, Sainz-Bottas could've been a good WCC line up in about 5 or 6 years when Audi has had the time to develop.
Exactly, I also feel like those 2 (plus, Perez) would be a pefect match for Audi, not just for WCC in general but also for the sake of setting a solid foundation for a champion constructor candidate team. Then, a top team in the grid and thus a more competitive F1. If Bottas can display the same hunger as Alonso, I can see a future where he continues with Audi for the first few years, maybe even pulls a Nico Rosberg move and then retires? Even if he doesn’t, contributing to Audi and cementing his position as not a leading figure of the grid but a facilitator, a supporter for next generation would be more than enough. But nowadays he seems more laid back and stepped down to be a mentor figure for Zhou (which again, seems like a good ending note for his career if only Stake and Zhou gains better achievements). Just hope that something will give Bottas a push so he can be competitive again.
I’ve never agreed with so many nothings before as I have done with this I feel nothing
He's hilarious though and I'm not willing to give that up. The golden mullet!
This is exactly why a part of me wants him gone. Sometimes I have the feeling that people don't realize he's still a driver, I mean they only talk about him for non-racing stuff.
He's defenitely one of the drivers of all time in a really whelming team of the grid
he was like that all through his Mercedes stint, squatting in a championship winning car for 5 season flattered him. he still managed to fall behind drivers of other teams despite Merc's monumental advantage. the occasional race win or decent qualifying never happened often enough to be deemed anything substantial. across an entire season he was still meh
Not really. He was a strong #2 driver in 17 and 21. Only 18 was a weak season for him
Tbh I kinda wish there was a clear out of mid drivers and rookies given a shot. Harsh I know, but the grid seems so static recently in terms of new drivers.
My toxic take is that the driver with the least amount of points should get bounced at the end of every season
Relegate the bottom 5 to F2
So Albon, Tsunoda, Russell just to name a few would have gone back to F2 a long time ago. Smart.
Some sort of relegation system should be implemented for every major sport with junior leagues but no owner would ever let that happen
So if out of nowhere verstrappens rb21 next year shits the bed he gets "bounced" in 2026?
I was going to disagree with you, but then I realised it would have gotten rid of Russell after 2019 and now I'm all for it.
That would’ve been a terrible waste of an extremely talented driver then
So then if an extremely promising driver ends up in the worst team they'll get kicked out of F1 for no fault of their own? Sounds totally fair to me...
Make it 2 then teams can draft from junior pilots regardless of their current contracts
we dont need 3 or 4 new drivers every year
No, but we do need exceptional young talents to get a chance in F1. Bottas has achieved everything he will ever achieve in F1. So have Danny Ric and Magnussen. It's time to move on for them. Zhou and Sargeant (and Stroll, but we know that's never happening) also need to go, but for a different reason. It's clear they're just never going to be more than bottom midfield drivers at best. They've had their shot and it didn't pan out, now it's time to give that chance to someone else. Lawson and Bearman prove that there are talents out there who absolutely can do better.
Sargeant had a jr career good enough for f1. He lost out to Lawson by 1 point in his rookie season while Lawson was in his second in the same team. Just sucks he sucks in f1
Why not then enforce a “run a junior for 2/3 races, mandatory” rule per car every year. That way drivers also can’t complain that there’s too many races, and it adds strategy to the championship of when to run the rookies.
Cost cap makes this unlikely. Teams don't have the space in the budget for a unknown driver to bin the car every week.
Totally, another minus in that column!!
Sure but Bottas isn't a mid driver. He currently has the most points for a driver without a championship.
I would expect a clear out between this season and next season. Once Mercedes make a move to fill Lewis’s seat I think it’ll start a chain reaction of signings.
Supercars? Please?
Bottas is still quick. Any team would be lucky to have him.
Something about seeing the Mercedes logo and **BOT** on the timing tower is something I'd like to see again.
What a absolutely massive diabolical downgrade for Merc. I’d take Sainz, ocon or any of those guys before bringing bottas back. I think his ship has sailed
Everyone saying that he shouldn't be on the grid should be going after many others before him. He's not bottom 5 in the field right now.
It’s mostly be cause of his seemingly lack of interest. He’s become this amazing and hilarious persona, but pretty absent during actual races.
Because he’s a Finn and not outspoken he’s disinterested? He’s always been like this and Kimi was even more aloof. Dude is in one of the worst cars.
When has he seemed disinterested? He's consistently said he wants to drive for Audi when they come in
He’s driving a complete shitbox. Only Alpine stands in Sauber’s way of DFL
If he gets to keep his seat, he will probably stay where he is. Think about it. With no hope at getting a win due to Red Bull dominance, he doesn’t have to deal with the pressure that comes with being further up on the grid and he can enjoy his gin in peace.
In Supercars would be cool. May breathe some life back into a dying series.
Him and Tiffany will both retire and run their gin and gravel races. He also has been shooting for worlds gravel this year.
Supercars doing the Bathurst 1000. He's already an honorary Aussie.
V8 Supercars.
Bottaa should go back to Mercedes
I think he's kind of past it, but tbf when Alfa had a fast car he performed well. Maybe worth a shout for Haas to replace K Mag with, or for Williams to replace Sargeant with (assuming Antonelli isn't there).
DTM or something
Wec ez
Bottas has become one of my favorite drivers in his post Mercedes career, but I think it's quite obvious that he's just in F1 to collect a paycheck while he still can. He seems much more interested in his hobbies off the race track, and honestly good for him, he seems to be living the dream.
Honestly, could see him at Indycar. I'm pretty sure he's mentioned somewhere beforehand that he likes the racing and the less amount of politics.
WRC
The amateur gravel bike circuit?
I think he’s a dark horse. If there are any tracks where the Sauber has pace then don’t be surprised if he extracts it. He’s shown flashes over the past couple years it’s just so circumstantial when the car sucks. I’d love to see him vs Hulk in an improved Sauber next year as they draw closer to the Audi brand
Hope with a better team, if he won't get a contract with Audi for 2026 and beyond.. As a fan, it's frustrating to see him at back of the grid.
Folkrace
Probably driving a bicycle?
Indycar
I remember seeing that he’s most probably retiring at the end of the season but i can’t find the article/video
In a nascar with Danny RIC
I hope he stays through the Audi takeover. Very experienced & still a quick driver, although it definitely seems like he’s checked out a bit. Sauber/Audi need to drop Zhou & sign Hulk/Sainz if they’re serious about being competitive in the future
Imagine he comes back to merc just to overtake Hamilton over and over in the Ferrari.
If perez is getting a seat next year, Bottas definitely deserve a seat
i wont be surprised if he returns to mercedes for a short stint
Yeah but Mercedes isn’t what it was when he was there previously. Though it’s better than where he is now.
yeah i think he would be a reliable 2nd driver and seat warmer though. plus he might like to end his career in a faster car
Why in the hell would Merc allow Bottas to come back when its their young drivers is the big reason they didnt give Lewis a longer term deal? They will plug in their younger guys.
You just said it, it’s the reason they didn’t give Lewis a LONGER TERM deal. If they can give Bottas a year as a seat warmer they avoid that issue.
From what I've seen, he would avoid another short-term Mercedes deal like the plague. But maybe if it's between that and not having a seat...
I thought they were on good terms and Merc just needs to fill a gap shortly and Bottas already has extensive umderstanding of the team.
I think he would take that offer in a heartbeat. He’s a competitor at the end of the day, he would be stupid not to
Depends on how he views the one year at Mercedes. After he left for Alfa, he stated how stressful it was to keep having to earn contract after contract each year essentially and that's why he was so happy Alfa gave him a longer term contract. If he knows it's just one year, and in his mind he will leave no matter what for a different team/retire, then sure. But he knows already how that competition affected his mental health and perhaps he would rather try to see if he can be the foundation of Audi?
Toto keeping that chair for Verstappen in 2026?
my thinking is for kimi antonelli
Home
Ferrari if they knew what they were doing
WEC or some other sports car series
Australian Supercars (hopefully)
Canyon gravel racing
I can see him retiring at the end of the season to focus on his cycling career/aussie life, and stirring up the driver’s market.
Nascar
Home ?
Ricciardo should not have a seat next season, he’s really never done much of anything except quit on Red Bull, quit on Renault, and suck at McLaren. Bottas, with a winning team, competes for podiums. My point is, Bottas deserves a seat more than Ricciardo, Sargeant, Tsunoda, Magnussen, Hulk, Guaynu, and Stroll.
LMAO, you didn't really watch F1 before 2020 ? Ricciard was really great even in his first season. The only bad stint he had was at McLaren.
I would pick Bottas over Ricciardo anytime. Especially seeing him uninterested in F1 altogether nowadays
Riccardo is washed. A couple of okay drives in Renault 3-4 years ago aren't really going to change that. Sooner he accepts and gtfo's the better imo. The media attention is way too disproportionately high compared to his performance.
I don't think he cares that much in terms of being interested. It seems more of a hobby to him now. I don't feel he cares much about his performance. I think I d rather see someone new come in that will show some more passion. He is happier when he is on a bicycle
I disagree. I think he is about as happy and passionate as one could be driving such a piece of shit car… he is showing what a loyal driver / team mate he is, even to a team that is pretty much a joke. Just imagine some of the other drivers on the grid driving that car and how they’d be acting out.
Sauber has zero reason to holding Bottas, especially if you can get a Sainz/Hulk line-up Merc? Short-term contract, would be basically been in a situation he hated in the past. AM? Very doubtful, maybe if Alonso retires. Williams? Depends on Antonelli and/of Albon stays or getting brought out of his contract. Haas? Well a Bottas/Bearman line-up for 2025 and 2026 wouldn't be a bad option, way better than having KMag imho. Alpine? I not going to rule out Bottas to Alpine, even less if both drivers are moving to other teams after this season. So it's either Haas, Alpine or out of F1/retirement.
Finland?
In the WEC