By Alan Baldwin
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Valtteri Bottas recognised he could be out of Formula One next season but said he trusted new Sauber boss Mattia Binotto to give him the nod over younger rivals.
The 35-year-old Finn, a 10 times winner with Mercedes before switching to Swiss-based Sauber, told reporters at the U.S. Grand Prix on Thursday that he was still waiting for a decision he had hoped would have been made by now.
“There’s nothing I can do at the moment, it’s not in my hands. I’m trying to perform the best I can this weekend and hope that will boost things up,” he said.
Sauber have to decide whether to go for two experienced drivers or bring in a young talent as the team transitions to becoming the factory Audi outfit from 2026.
They have signed German veteran Nico Hulkenberg from Haas and have a seat to fill — with Bottas the incumbent but measured against the likes of youngsters Mick Schumacher, F2 leader Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto.
“I know the terms that I’m up for and just basically waiting for the green light,” said Bottas, who felt money was not an issue.
“I will stay positive because I really feel and believe that I should be in that seat. I feel like I would be best for the interest of the team.”
Bottas acknowledged it was hard to show a wider audience how well he was performing when he was driving for the only team yet to score a point this season.
“I don’t want the headline ‘frustrated’, that’s a hard word, but it’s tough,” he said.
“If you don’t have the car, it’s really difficult to show what you can do. And also for people making decisions in a big company, they tend to look at the results.
“It’s not at the moment easy to shine, let’s say. I’ve just got to trust Mattia. He knows what he will get from me.”
Binotto, a former Ferrari principal, took the helm in August.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
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