F1 News: Valtteri Bottas Reveals 2026 Goal - "Want To Be Part Of Audi Project"
Sauber F1 driver Valtteri Bottas, whose contract expires at the end of next year, revealed his wish to continue racing for the same team. He also emphasized his willingness to be a part of the "Audi Project," when the German manufacturer takes over the Hinwil-based outfit in 2026.
Alfa Romeo ended its contract with Sauber this year, which caused the team to change its name for two years until Audi's highly anticipated F1 entry in 2026. Despite releasing a team name of 'Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber' on the FIA entry list, the team later confirmed that the team name announcement was coming on January 1.
Bottas, the former Mercedes driver, joined Sauber in 2021. Since his contract with the team expires at the end of next year, he will begin contract negotiations with his team boss in the first quarter of 2024. Speaking to the UK’s Express Sport, he said:
“So I’m signed until [the] end of next year and there haven’t been talks yet.
“We have agreed to talk next year… I would say in the first quarter of next year to finalise things and make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Considering that more than half of the drivers' contracts expire at the end of 2024, the Formula 1 grid could witness a major overhaul. Amidst the shuffling, Bottas made his goal clear - to be a part of the Audi F1 team. He added:
“It’s interesting times in F1 obviously.
“I think there’s actually many drivers without contracts [beyond 2024] so it’s going to be quite interesting actually to follow how things are going to fall into place.
“For me the goal is clear. I would definitely want to be a part of the Audi project, so that’s my goal and we’ll find out next year what happens.”
