Comment | This is why Lewis Hamilton's surprise transfer hits Valtteri Bottas badly

Formula the number one team place roulette starts to take rounds.

The Mercedes F1 team confirmed on Thursday evening that the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will move to another top team for Ferrari as early as the 2025 season.

Ferrari rumors have been linked to Hamilton before, but now they are completely true.

This leads to a chain reaction. Hamilton would replace Carlos Sainz, which would go to, well, Sauber, which from 2026 will be Audi's factory team. The connection between Sainz and Audi has been mentioned before, but in the same vein it has been stated that Sainz is happy with Ferrari and is even signing a new contract.

Sainz already said on Thursday evening that his time at Ferrari will end next season and information about further plans will come in time.

At this point let's join the Finnish drivers of the F1 circus To Valtteri Bottaswhose chances to continue with Sauber, which was still an Alfa Romeo team last season, are beginning to be very slim.

If Sainz goes to Sauber and then to Audi, Bottas has one option in practice and another in theory. In practice, Bottas has to find a new team for himself, but in theory, even the second place could be available.

Let's take the theoretical possibility first. Bottas is an experienced driver who knows the Sauber team better than any of the current drivers. He would be a good support for Sainz.

But: If Sauber continues with the same system as several other lower level teams, Bottas will be left behind.

Sauber now has a situation where Bottas is a hired driver and Zhou Guanyu is in the stable with Chinese money. If Sainz is a hired driver, the question is what kind of race is the other driver. If he continues to drive with the support of his sponsors, Bottas is not an option.

Would you find it? A new stable place for Bottas? Possibly, but it can be difficult. Haas? Williams? Both have a connection to Bottas in a way, because Haas is driven by Ferrari engines, as Sauber still is, and Williams has a Mercedes power source – Bottas was previously a Mersu driver.

In any case, Bottas will have a hot season ahead of him, where the conference rooms will become familiar.

Updated confirmation of Hamilton's transfer on Thursday 1 February at 21:30.