Valtteri Bottas has admitted he was “surprised” to see Lewis Hamilton move to Ferrari in 2025, adding it would be “good for him and for the whole sport”.
Bottas teamed up with Hamilton to win five consecutive constructors' championships with Mercedes from 2017 to 2021, and his former teammate is set to move to the Scuderia next season.
This leaves a vacancy in Bottas' previous team, and Bottas said his priority is to remain with his current team until he joins Audi, but he is keeping an eye on the situation outside.
Valtteri Bottas talks about Lewis Hamilton's 'big move' and possible return to Mercedes
Additional reporting by Sam Cooper
At the launch of the Kick C44, which was unveiled as the first stakes F1 car on Monday night following Sauber's rebranding from Alfa Romeo last season, Bottas spoke about the driver change due to the seismic shift of his former teammate. asked about.
He noted that this is likely to lead to a heated driver market in 2024, with one of the drivers, a 10-time Grand Prix winner, looking to renew his contract at the end of the season.
When asked about his reaction to Hamilton's move to Ferrari, Bottas told media such as PlanetF1.com: “I was surprised, I never thought it would happen, but I think it's good for him.'' Told.
“So this is a big opportunity, a big move and obviously it was his decision.
“Certainly, we're going to see a further escalation of market movements as we head into 2025, so it's very difficult to predict how that will play out at this point.
“I think it's a great challenge. I'm sure that's a big motivation for him to take Ferrari to the top. Yeah, it's cool in a way and like I said, definitely in the future. It's going to create some movement towards that, which is good for the sport as a whole and for some drivers as well.”
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Bottas recently posted a photo of Brackley on social media, adding that it was not Mercedes' home base, but that he was in the city on other business.
His contract with his current team is due to expire at the end of the season and he insisted his priority now is to remain with the Hinwil-based team until he becomes Audi, but what will happen if Toto Wolff calls? I'll ask you. His former boss has to say:
“I'm not lying, I was actually in Brackley the day before too. It's not the Mercedes factory, but I was doing other things there,” he explained.
“No, I haven't talked to Toto on the phone yet. If I go back, of course my priority and biggest commitment will be the Audi project and that's my goal, but if that doesn't happen… In fact, I can say there is no team I wouldn't go to, but I know my priorities and I have my list.”
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