The 34-year-old has stated that he has an agreement to discuss his contract for Sauber in early 2024 as the Formula 1 driver sends Audi a ‘clear’ message regarding his plans.

The 34-year-old, like many of his contemporaries, is set to become a free agent at the end of next season. Only five of the 20 drivers set to compete in the 2024 Formula One season have long-term contracts. Bottas and Zhou Guanyu of Sauber are among the 15 with expiring contracts.

Sauber agreed to award Bottas a multi-year contract to join the team for the 2022 season while racing as Alfa Romeo for sponsorship reasons. It was also the first time in years that the Finn had a contract for more than a year, following five one-year deals with Mercedes.

Bottas now expects to speak with Sauber about his long-term future in early 2024. He has yet to hold formal talks with the Hinwil, Switzerland-based firm about a new contract. They have agreed to hold meetings in the first quarter of next year.

With many of his rival drivers in the same boat, he admits the Formula One market is in a ‘interesting’ state. Bottas, on the other hand, hopes to sign another multi-year deal with Sauber to continue driving for the team when Audi takes over as a factory effort for the 2026 season.

“So, I’m signed until the end of next year, and there haven’t been any talks,” Bottas told the Express. “We agreed to meet next year.” I’d say the first quarter of next year to finalize things and ensure everyone is on the same page.”

Bottas went on to say: “But, obviously, it’s an exciting time in Formula One.” I believe that many drivers will be without contracts [after next season]. So it’s going to be quite interesting to see how things fall into place.

“The goal is clear for me. I would love to be a part of the Audi project. So that’s my goal, and we’ll see what happens next year.”

Audi completed the acquisition of a stake in Sauber in January 2023, and the team will become a factory F1 team in 2026. According to RacingNews365, Nico Hulkenberg is already emerging as a top target for Audi, who wants the Haas pilot to join Sauber in 2025.

The Haas drivers Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, like Bottas and Zhou at Sauber, are currently out of contract in Formula One after the 2024 season. So, despite scoring 10 of Sauber’s 16 points as Alfa Romeo in 2023, Bottas may have to fight for his desired future with Audi.

Bottas finished the season 15th in the drivers’ standings, with Alfa Romeo ninth.
The Sauber-ran outfit finished the season four points better off than last-placed Haas. Bottas scored his points with P8 finishes in Bahrain and Qatar plus P10 results in Canada and Italy.