Valtteri Bottas finds himself in the midst of the ongoing speculation for the 2025 Formula 1 driver market's chaotic period. The seasoned Finnish driver and previous multiple race winner for Mercedes might not be included in Audi's future plans at his current team, Sauber.
Several contenders are vying for the spots currently held by the 34-year-old and his teammate from China, Guanyu Zhou, such as Carlos Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg, and Sergio Perez.
It seems Audi is determined to finalize its driver roster for 2025, extending possibly to 2026 and 2027, imposing imminent deadlines for drivers receiving concrete proposals in the upcoming days.
"For some it might move quite quickly, for some maybe not," remarked Nico Hulkenberg, currently with Haas, in Shanghai.
"It's definitely a very interesting situation right now - the driver market is very dynamic, very fluid. I'm sure all the drivers with no contract for 2025 are pretty busy right now having lots of conversations.
"Same for me," the German confessed.
Meanwhile, Bottas anticipates an uptick in activity within the frantic period of the silly season.
"I don't know if there is anything to solve right now," he commented, as reported by Finnish broadcaster MTV in China.
"But of course it's exciting to think about what Carlos (Sainz) is doing, or what Mercedes is doing. Things might start falling into place within a couple of weeks," Bottas noted.
"I have started discussions," he disclosed.
