Valtteri Bottas has revealed that being listed as a Red Bull driver on the Formula 1 store prompted him to receive questions about whether he was moving to the team.
This weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is poised to be Bottas’ last appearance in the sport for the time being amid Sauber’s decision not to renew his contract for 2025.
The expectation that Bottas will not be on the grid next season comes despite Red Bull having not finalised the driver line-ups at the parent team and sister squad RB.
Bottas has claimed that there are certain individuals inside Red Bull who hold a dislike towards him as he divulged that an earlier approach he made was turned down.
However, rumours associating Bottas with a surprise switch to Red Bull gathered pace in the week when his name was spotted on Red Bull’s segment on the F1 store.
The Finn has highlighted that the observation reached people close to him, who began inquiring whether there was substance to a potential F1 reprieval with Red Bull.
Asked whether there was something to it, Bottas told media including Motorsport Week: “Yes, I got some messages this week like, ‘are you going to Red Bull?’
“I said ‘no that I know.’ So, it’s, you know, it’s all the rumours.”
Bottas admits ‘not all things make sense’ in F1
Red Bull appears set to axe Sergio Perez amid his woes in 2024, with RB’s Liam Lawson touted as the leading candidate to replace him over team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
But with Red Bull having struggled to find an adequate second driver alongside Max Verstappen, Bottas has been touted as an available option that could fill that void.
Bottas thrived in a supporting role alongside seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, seizing 10 victories as the team won each title from 2017 to 2021.
Put to him whether it was irritating that he’s not on Red Bull’s radar amid his record in F1, Bottas said: “I don’t know what I should say about that, really.
“This sport is funny, sometimes not all things make sense.
“But, like I said last time, I know I could definitely do the job.
“But they’re always focusing on their junior drivers, because they’ve invested a lot in them in the past. So that kind of makes sense, but not much more I can say.”
Questioned on whether he deemed it remarkable that Red Bull hasn’t even considered him, Bottas concluded: “Again. What can I say?
“I mean, maybe you can plant the seed in there and go from there…”
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