Valtteri Bottas ‘problem’ spotted with ‘point the finger’ risk to F1 future

Contesting the Gravel World Championships during the autumn break, Jenson Button says Valtteri Bottas risks having his outside adventures blamed for his poor results.

Nearing the end of a woeful season for Sauber, who remain the only team without a single point on the board, Bottas is fighting for his Formula 1 future.

Valtteri Bottas’ talks with Sauber are said to have stalled

Although the 10-time Grand Prix winner was thought to be favourite to line up alongside Nico Hulkenberg next season, Sauber are reportedly considering a complete overhaul after negotiations with Bottas stalled.

According to reports, the Finn wants a multi-year deal that would continue into 2026 when Audi officially rebrand the team, but Sauber have only offered him a deal for 2025.

That Bottas is lodged down at the very bottom of the Drivers’ Championship doesn’t help his cause with outside voices calling for the Finn to be replaced.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko believes Sauber should give Mick Schumacher a chance while Fernando Alonso would like to see his protege Gabriel Bortoleto secure the final spot on the grid.

More on Valtteri Bottas’ F1 future and Audi’s options

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Button reckons part of Bottas’ problem is his competitive activities outside of Formula 1, such as his recent participation in the UCI Gravel World Championships can lead to added criticism when he doesn’t perform in F1.

“The problem is at that point you’re doing something that’s very competitive,” he told the Sky F1 podcast. “I was doing triathlons my last few years in F1.

“The thing is if something goes wrong on track and you’re not as competitive, immediately the team looks for a reason, or the media looks for a reason why you’re not so competitive.

“And they’ll go, it’s because you’re racing on a gravel bike. That’s why you’re not competitive in F1, you’re focusing on that more.

“So that’s the only worry for a racing driver doing things outside of Formula 1, is people have something to point the finger and say, ‘That’s why you were not what competitive that last race, not just because you were slow’.”

Bottas competed in the cycling gruelling event during the autumn break and finished 133rd out of 247 participants in his age group in a time of 5h40m.

“It was hard as expected!” Bottas wrote on social media. “With the huge amount of people attending, queueing up for the single track sections in the beginning, and having to fix a puncture 5km before the finish, I was well happy with my day on the bike otherwise.

“Thank you for all the support on the course, it was unreal! And thank you for the best support leading up and during the event to everyone involved I’ll definitely remember this day!”