Late start to the weekend
Tomorrow morning’s Free Practice at Zandvoort will mark the return of Formula 1 after the summer break, but without the presence of Valtteri Bottas in PL1. The Finn from Sauber, in fact, will remain in the pits due to Robert Shwartzman’s promotion for this session, only to then get back behind the wheel starting from PL2. However, the moment he is spending in Hinwil is not entirely peaceful for the former Mercedes driver.
Renewal coming soon?
In addition to the lack of points in the standings, just like his teammate, the Finn is still not sure what his future in F1 will be, with the confirmation or possible rejection in favor of another driver still slow in arriving, even if the latest signs seem to be more encouraging: “For the last six months or so I’ve felt like I’m not the top priority. – he explained to the media on the eve of the Dutch GP – there was a hire before me and the team and management were looking at all options. There seemed to be little communication, but now it seems a little different. There has been a real reset, now there is a clear structure at the top about who does what. Mattia (Binotto) comes from a team that has had a lot of success and he knows what a good team really needs, so I think it is positive for the future of this team.”
The Audi project
But when will we actually know something about Bottas’ future at Sauber? In this regard, the Finn wanted to provide an indication: “It’s already August, it will soon be September – he added – The sooner it is done, the better it is for everyone. I think everyone agrees on that, but sometimes it is like that. The more I learn about the Audi project and their investments, the more I know what they have actually done in the last few years. That definitely makes me more and more more confident that it will be a successful project sooner or later”.
Hunting for the first points
Bottas, who also denied having carried out a WRC test, finally dwelt on the good feelings ahead of Zandvoort, with the team still chasing its first point in the Constructors’ standings: “We have learned a lot with the updates – he concluded – this is a different track, with a very high aerodynamic load. We should be in a good position to fight for the points, but to do that we will need perfection. It will be very windy, and there will not be the usual evolution of the track because of the sand. The gusts also lead to more unpredictability, but I hope to start the weekend on the right foot, which for me will be PL2″.
#Bottas #confident #relationship #team
