As a Finn I do want to see a Finnish driver on the grid and atm Valtteri is our only one since Kimi left and no new rookie is at the F1 level yet but when it comes to Audi I would say having Mick and someone like Valtteri might be a steal and dream bundle since you have someone who knows the merc path but can help a new young gun under his wing like Alonso has kind of done with Stroll at Aston. Hell give me a Vettel + Mick combo at Audi and I will be more than happy :D
Definitely. There was that one interview where he talked about how on the the day he was better than #blessed. He showed it too, but he seemed to give up a bit.
To be fair, Bottas's positions gained stats will be affected by the years at Merc where he was starting P1 or P2 all the time so would be unlikely to make places up from there.
As Alonso have said, a driver being able to "build" a team is nothing more than a myth. Drivers, as the name implies, are just for driving the cars. Crediting or discrediting one driver for anything other than their driving prowess is a moot point. It's odd that some people think that any driver have the ability to assume the role of an engineer or a team principal of some sort. As for Bottas, he's a safe pair of hands and a pretty fast one at that. He rarely made mistakes, and he is still at worst one of the top 10 drivers on the grid. Bottas being a teammate of arguably the greatest of all time really hurts his reputation, despite himself being unbeatable so far against all of his teammates bar Hamilton. It's sad that he's now in a shamble of a team, making zero impression with their ability to create F1 cars for years now.
Yup, unless you convince tons of top engineers, managers, etc. to all move to one team for you (something happened once and will never again), there’s almost nothing you can do besides hope Newey takes a sabbatical, gets a terrible engine or he’s designing for you. Only 2 titles in the last 32 years didn’t have Newey or Brawn involved car or at least their direct DNA.
I think a driver who is experienced and a good communicator can probably provide more useful test drive and FP feedback, but yeah I agree. This whole noise about Mick being an epicly useful simulation driver for example...lol.
Bottas has his issues but whenever the Alfa had some pace he delivered. Audi should keep him until their operation is really up and running. Pairing him with Nico would be good as it would push him to stay sharp.
I honestly think Bottas already accepted that he's not going to be a WC. He seems content with just being in the grid and like he's happy if he retires as well. I'm happy for him, but it also means that he probably doesn't really have Audi in mind. He also doesn't seem to trust in Sauber being able to actually keep up with their end of the deal.
I would love to see Bottas go back to Williams. It's the team he started with, he's got a good relationship with James Vowles and an Albon/Bottas pairing could be really fun.
Bottas is a bit of a Hulkenberg: when the car is decent he'll bring it home. Otherwise you'll never see him make an aggressive move or do anything risky.
You should do a video on the 2008 season when the Toro Rosso was faster than the Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel was on fire in the Toro Rosso that year and a lot of people initially were saying he had made the wrong choice moving to the underperforming Red Bull for 2009. That would be an interesting analysis
I think you've hit the nail on the head with your thinking/predicition of Perez and Hulkenberg driving for Audi - all the experience, insight, knowledge and skill from Perez, combined with the German media clout of Hulk - and that he still seems to have a spring in his step as seen from his Q stints in the Haas.
I've just realised that I've been watching and enjoying your videos for months, witout being a subscriber. So...congrats, you've just got your first (probably) subscriber from Serbia and a Williams fan 😁 I really like your diction and whole concept of the show. It reminds me of some older British TV shows, back when they were still good. You could easily be a TV presenter...but I like it more this way. It's 100% you and you have all the freedom to do what you want. Let's push for 100k before the end of 2024. In ladder we trust!
Hi! I would like to ask you when are you going to make the video with the driver transfer predictions for 2025? Will it be this month at least? Thank you and I love your content
A lot could happen in the driver market this year: In my opinion, Hulkenberg to Sauber is a given and that would open up a seat for Ollie Bearman at Haas if he wins the F2 title. Then it could look like this: Ricciardo performs well and goes to Red Bull ➡ Checo, with his bags full of sponsorships, picks up a multi-year deal with Sauber/Audi and partners Hulkenberg from 2025 onwards. The other option is they give their guy Pourchaire his big break. That'll leave both Bottas & Zhou without a seat and potentially out of F1. It's not looking good for either of them imo.
i don"t think Audi would go for two old guys. the Perez/Hülkenberg pairing worked well, ten years ago at Force India, they"re unlikely to bring that back
I doubt Valtteri would get an Audi contract. We can somewhat draw a parallel to Brawn GP getting acquired by Mercedes, both Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button were forced to go elsewhere, and Button was with the team since the BAR days and Barrichello was with them since 2006 and still they got forced out and Button was the World Champion for god sake.
Not to mention the quality of the f2 grid coming up! I actually have an interest in this season for the first time! Record breakers coming through like the young kimi.
Bottas perfectly fits in RedBull. Sadly, they didn’t fire perez, and now is too late. He’s quiet, make points, always in Q3 (when at Mercedes), great wingman.
Question can you do this video at the end of the 2024 season or at the start of the 2025 year of ranking all of the Sauber and Alfa Romeo driver since 2013 since it has been 11 years since 2013.
A poor 2023 really can't be blamed on Bottas. Alfa literally had the slowest car in terms of average pace over the whole season (just check The Race stats) and people are really out here blaming Bottas for not being in the points every race. Back in 2022 when Williams had the worst car, I didnt hear anyone pointing their fingers at Albon and saying he isn't doing a good enough job. ITS ALWAYS THE CAR. Give Bottas a decent car, like at the start of 2022 and he'll make sure to extract everything out of it and get consistent points.
If I were Audi, the first thing I'd do is change the line-up. I like Zhou overall, but he hasn't shown anything really special. And Bottas seems to be in his late Kimi/Seb era, just cruising. The difference is that he's no Kimi or Seb. Swell dude and good driver, but not what I'd want for my team.
I could see Bottas being a Salo/McNish type of pick for Audi. Y'know that type of solid-benchmark type that a new manufacturer would like until someone better crops up. No disrespect to Bottas all that said though, yet I can't see where else he'd go though? Back to Williams eventually?
James Key was a decent designer when at STR he could use parts from the mother team. At McLaren the MCL35M was already designed when he made his entrance. That car didn't improve. The MCL36 wasn't a great car either and that was his first car at McLaren. The start of the MCL60 with the raised floor edges and defuser throat wasnt great to put it mildly. He was put on non-active and the old team started working as they had done on the MCL35M. This led to the MCL 60 becoming a competitive car for P2. Now the new technical hart is instated......
@@LawVS My memory stored that differently. The MCL36 and the Alpine A322 in particulair looked stiff, jumpy and cumbersome in testing. With the dropping of the in-wash design in favour of an down-wash design sidepod this got better. We will see indeed.
I've re-evaluated my opinion of Bottas recently. During the Mercedes years when he was Hamilton's teammate, I was too blinded/frustrated by their dominance to pay much attention to his performances. It was just another Merc win to me. During the off season I've watched the 2017, 2018 and 2019 season to satiate my F1 addiction, and I've been quite taken aback by what a brilliant performance he put in, especially in 2019. If a few things had gone his way, a few DNF's hadn't happened, etc, he could have won the title that year. He was way ahead early on and looking strong until the mid-season break. Blistering in the qualifying, solid in races. I think he still has that talent, it's just latent on account of the car he's in. If you, say, sent him to Red Bull, I think he'd do just as well if not better than Perez. There are certainly drivers who are never going to be regular race winners or championship contenders, no matter what team or car they're in, but I think Valteri has demonstrated he's not one of them. He has a similar story/trajectory to his countryman Kimi, but I think Kimi had a better Sauber car, or perhaps was better at making the most of it. Part of me doesn't want to see him go, at the same time part of me thinks that the junior driver backup is getting ridiculous.
I think if Bottas had kept up the pace and momentum from the early part of 2022 as had Alfa, he would be a really compelling midfield leader...but that sadly has faded away.
I'd love for Bottas to replace Sargent at Williams. Going back to his home team (and a mercedes customer team) Hes a safe pair of hands and could give so much insight to Williams while they rebuild
There's a lot of contracts up for review this year. I would not be surprised if a lot of team bosses have been complaining about half of the grid behind closed doors. When Antonelli, Bortoleto, Bearman and co are ready for F1, a lot of heads have to exit the sport.
I think Bottas is done. And not really from his actions in the car. Mostly because I think Audi wants their distance from this entire team and they'll want a fresh slate when they start to take over. Valtteri could be a victim to the change over.
Really? There are people dying of famine or worse around the 🌎. But, because while getting millions to do the coolest job in the world, he deserves to waste a seat because he was bummed out he never won a WDC?
@@The_ZeroLine You hear this sound? That's the sound of a world's smallest violin playing. If you want to complain about injustices of the world, you came to wrong place.
Hearing that Valtteri, doesn’t have a contract option for 2025 with Stake Sauber, I could see Pourchaire alongside Hülkenberg for 2025, instead of him being loaned out to Haas for a year, or taken under Frederic Vasseur’s wing (former Sauber team principal)
I think in general Bottas is just overhated. He got more hate for not challenging Lewis for the championship than Perez got for not reaching Q3 and crashing a lot in the most dominant F1 car in recent history. Bottas was great during the first part of the 2022 season where Sauber showed some real pace. He was also clearly better than Zhou this season and whilst this is expected from him, beating your teammate is the best indicator for a drivers performance. Also Bottas had a lot of bad luck this season. Like getting hit by Alonso in Las Vegas while starting in the top 10. Let's face it, the car was bad this season. So was the Haas. But somehow i feel like Hülkenberg gets a lot of praise for more or less doing the same job as Bottas. Landing somewhere around 10th position at most races in a car that is not good enough for points during most days. So i fail to see how Hülkenberg would be an upgrade over Bottas just from a performance point of view. Some aspects speak for Bottas, others for Hülk. But if i were Sauber, i wouldn't change a thing. Hülk as a replacement for Zhou, sure. But not for Bottas. Also Perez could be an option for Audi but honestly i don't rate him higher than Bottas at all. Especially after last season. I think Audi should stick with Bottas as he knows the team now and neither Perez or Hülk seem a clear upgrade for me. As a fan of the team i'd love to see Gasly alongside Bottas for 2026. Gasly surprised me last season with his adaptability and seems to be a doable option for Audi if they can't get someone like Sainz or Norris / Piastri. Oh and some people saying Bottas does the same as Räikkönen did and has no drive and goals anymore because he loves to show off his butt, likes riding his bike, drinking beer and just enjoying his best life ist just....weird??
I think a reunion with Williams could have potentially played out better for him instead of going with Alfa Romeo. With an Incoming Albon and James, the familiarity with the team is there as well as the principal. Better chances for points with both cars. Idk, all speculation but fun to think about
I personally think that Audi will try to get Sainz, they have a good relationship with his father and Sainz Jr might be tempted to be the main man at a factory team.
Looking at the last two season and given how big the Chinese market is for high end German car, keeping Zhou as the reliable 2nd driver look like the best option. And Bottas showed in his 5 years at Mercedes and the 2 years with Sauber, that he isn’t a really good leader despite being really quick on his day.
Last Question for Sauber/Alfa Romeo. Ranked best to worst all of Sauber and Alfa Romeo drivers since 2013 from Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Gutierrez, Adrian Sutil, Felipe Nasr, Marcus Ericsson, Pascal Wehrlein, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Raikkonen, Antonio Giovinazzi, Valterri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. Just give your personal ranking best to worst even without explanation.
Valtteri does need to step up this season, felt he had quite a forgettable season last year, yes the car was not great but he still didn't have that stand out moment. Yes he does seem more happy and content at Sauber but if he's still wants to be with in Audis plans then he does have to start showing that he's still at his best level.
Yeah but he's clearly dedicated to becoming an Aussie. We'll take him. He's the first Finn with a sense of humour, and...aaaand a magnificent moustache. Yeah he's in. Ok a VB tattoo would help 😂😂😂😂😂
Bottas had a problem when he drove for Mercedes and that is if he started back in the pack he seamed like he was overly hesitant to pass any of the other drivers. I heard him blame it on a car that did not work great in traffic...B.S. It is his job to pass cars and get back up front.
I feel like Sauber could get their act inorder for 2024 with Andreas Seidl and James Key working on it since October I believe. Come to think about it, it makes all the more sense why 2023 went so bad for them, sacrificing that one season to build on the next, kind of like Haas in 2022 although the difference then was that it was a massive regulation change, unlike next year with Sauber. But hey, they always punched above their weight, hope they do so next year. And as for Valterri, he just needs to get his race starts in order and he'll be fine I guess.
How drivers get away from the line is almost solely down to the car. You have to evaluate how they handle themselves once they get to the first braking zone.
Even when Alonso was in the slowest car on the grid by far, you always noticed him. That’s the difference between a Bottas or Magnussen and an Alonso or Maximum Verstappen. In Valterri’s defense, he neck-and-neck against an aging Felipe Massa. So, yeah, he’s like a slightly faster Kevin Magnussen. He was even out performed by Maldonado.
i would take sainz if possible he can lead and built that team bottas cant and hulkie next to sainz 2 experienced drivers to start the journey is smart in my view for developping the car!
If I compare Bottas and Zhou in the Sauber/Alfa Romeo drivers they would be here down below. 1. Leclerc as the best 2. Raikkonen 3. Valterri Bottas 4. Marcus Ericsson 5. Antonio Giovinazzi 6. Zhou Guanyu as the worst In my opinion while Bottas was great and carried the team to get 6th in the constructor championshop I do think this year affected his ranking which made him worse than Raikkonen. Zhou in his first year and second year was fine but he doesn't have the highs that Ericsson has or the good quali pace that Giovinazzi has. Also tell me if you agree with my list or will you have change anything from my list.
It's bad enough to have the reputation of being a "Saturday Merchant," even if it isn't 100% justified by circumstances; just ask George Russell or Charles Leclerc, but it's even worse to not even realize part of that potential on a consistent basis. Sauber _need_ to make a serious impression in the next couple years to silence the doubters; especially those on Audi's management board.
The major role of academies isn't getting drivers seats; it's paying for their time in junior formulas. Many drivers wouldn't get to race at all if they didn't have backing, and it's not like non-academy drivers are doing better. The only recent driver without an academy affiliation to make it onto the grid I can think of is Nikita Mazepin. Yeah. IMO, the sport needs to step in and regulate academy contracts. If the team doesn't arrange an F1 winner a seat the next year, then they should lose their rights to the driver.
alfa started making their own clutches this season which lead to lots of struggles with starts and even when bottas gets a good start he gets tangled up in some crash like in miami. qualified like p7 and t1 gets torpedoed and drops to last place :/
The Real Sauber "Peter Sauber" doesn't invest into his former team. A Austrian News Company told in a video, that Peter Sauber has no more connection to the current Sauber... Alfa Romeo... Stake F1 Team Kicks Sauber Out... It doesn't matter what they call themself. Valtteri Bottas would gain new options to represent his name, when he is out of formula One. If I remember right, he has his own vodka? Checo Perez and Hulkenberg in Audi is quite realistic, even though I had this thought in my head: after Red Bull, he should switch to a racing series that has a greater focus on city circuits. And I really think that Audi wants experienced drivers in their first years in formula One. And I want to say, they will do a better job then Haas and alpine in the last 8 years.
Audi are behaving right now like they're just getting rid of the responsibility which will affect them badly for the new regulations to come, and for Valtteri I hope he'll deliver this season and change team by the end of it (Haas/Williams), he still a great driver with more experience than most of the grid.
I know it’s been said before but Maybe Hulk and Mick become the two German drivers for the team just like Rosberg and Michael when Mercedes joined the grid? Have a true German team for marketing plus both drivers are good.
I love Valtteri but with the results of the last 2 seasons at Alfa Romeo, I think a race seat in the Audi F1 team is a reach for him. He needs to have a great season to have any shot at Audi.
@@LawVS no question that at the start of 2022, when Alfa had the lightest car in F1, Valtteri had a few really really good races and a solid start to the season, which led to the P6 in constructors that year. But after that solid start, the team tailed off in the rest of 2022 and has never recovered. Last season was an embarrassment for the team and drivers. And I just don’t think that he’s going to be in the Audi seat unless he gives an Alex Albon type performance in 2024 - that is, carrying his team to a higher position than perhaps it should be based on the car.
Since Sauber/Alfa Romeo was my favorite team since 2013. Tell me if you agree with my driver rankings from best to worst. 1. Hulkenberg as the best 2. Charles Leclerc 3. Kimi Raikkonen 4. Felipe Nasr 5. Paschal Wehrlein 6. Valterri Bottas 7. Marcus Ericsson 8. Adrian Sutil 9. Antonio Giovinazzi 10. Zhou Guanyu 11. Esteban Gutierrez as the worst Now in the comments tell me if you agree or if there any changes you would do in my list example if this driver should be higher or if this driver should be lower things like that.
I think Bottas still thinks he can't compare to Lewis' Mr. reliable. In an interview he talks about merc backing Lewis over him because of consistency and I think those mental blocks and lack of car are holding him back. As an onlooker that is, his race starts don't stand out to me. We've seen what this man can do at his best, beating Lewis to pole and on track, a man that most still consider the best driver on grid and I personally think he has it in him to be one of if not the best driver on grid. Porridge or not, I hope he can find his setup, his car, and his team to back him in a fight for a real championship run. No more "Valtteri, its James..." Maybe its bias but he is a race winner, and I still think if you give him the car to win a race, he can do it.
4:44 What do you mean Bottas can't get a good start? In the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix, he had a 0.04 reaction time. He also had a 0.201 reaction time at the 2017 Austrian Grand Prix. The Hulk will not smash when he goes to Audi. He won't last more than 2 years as their #2 driver (pun intended).
Sainz is way better to lead Audi into F1. He’s younger, faster, manages his team more and most of all still cares. I haven’t seen Bottas care for a while now. And I like the guy.
@@LawVS very much possible. If so, Hülkenberg or one of the Alpine drivers might be plan B over Bottas. Albon would be better still, but he’s wanted by many teams.
@@LawVS Sauber should drop zhou imo since sure he's stayed out of trouble and crashes but he just doesn't have the pace. Theo could be a good driver for the future.
I saw and I am so pleased for her. I hope that and the BOSS GP work will teach her more about working with a whole crew in much faster machinery. More neck training too!
I don't think it's fair to say Bottas hasn't done anything to state his claim to the seat. Back at the start of 2022, he was regularly battling the mercs and scored points finish after points finish. Then the car dropped off substantially, so it was really hard to score anything major. In 2023 the car was awful from the get go, so I just don't think it's fair to say he is not doing enough, since with a car that terrible, it is a miracle to even place 10th. Yeah he was really anonymous last year, but I don't understand why people keep blaming him for it, since his team mate didn't do a whole lot either.
Nico will be 28 by the time Audi comes around. Surely they won't look at his age and think he's fit for the drive, especially after his 0 points scored in the second half of this season?
I find it funny that almost every team said that they got a new car for the next season, Ferrari, Mercedes, Sauber, Williams, I wonder who is actually the fastests, cause we might get 2 stories here, all of them lied and Red Bull and Mclaren are the fastest or all of them are fast and we get a 7 team fight for the title. Which is impossible
I think most teams have had to completely change their focus in the wake of the Red Bull concept and formalise their cars into that avenue of development properly instead of Frankensteining it.
McLaren was the only team that happened to have the same suspension configuration as the RB19, which made it far easier for them to mimic the RB19 concept. I expect other teams will have the same config on their new cars.
I just think Bottas / Hulkenberg / Perez line up is a very Toyota line up, too safe. They need to spend the money and get a Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Alonso or Norris.
Look at Honda. Button was fairly anonymous until they had a great car as Brawn and he became world champion. Not saying Bottas is WDC material but even good drivers can't do much with bad cars.
![[Part 1] ทารกน้อยถูกทิ้ง👶 หญิงชราเก็บขวดขายเลี้ยงดูเขาจนโต #โลกการละคร](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nPTDvFCExks/mqdefault.jpg)
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As a Finn I do want to see a Finnish driver on the grid and atm Valtteri is our only one since Kimi left and no new rookie is at the F1 level yet but when it comes to Audi I would say having Mick and someone like Valtteri might be a steal and dream bundle since you have someone who knows the merc path but can help a new young gun under his wing like Alonso has kind of done with Stroll at Aston. Hell give me a Vettel + Mick combo at Audi and I will be more than happy :D
You’re not wrong Law… Bottas’ near future is literally at Stake (F1 Team)
I don't think Valterri blew it.... I think the Merc monster beat him down........and then...... Sauber, some of the best looking buses I've ever seen.
That's not helped, true.
Definitely. There was that one interview where he talked about how on the the day he was better than #blessed. He showed it too, but he seemed to give up a bit.
You might need some more full stops in that comment
@@n5ryan5 You might have been a hall monitor. :)
To be fair, Bottas's positions gained stats will be affected by the years at Merc where he was starting P1 or P2 all the time so would be unlikely to make places up from there.
That's fair, but it is a factor to consider; especially for lower teams that NEED good qualifying slots.
As Alonso have said, a driver being able to "build" a team is nothing more than a myth. Drivers, as the name implies, are just for driving the cars. Crediting or discrediting one driver for anything other than their driving prowess is a moot point. It's odd that some people think that any driver have the ability to assume the role of an engineer or a team principal of some sort.
As for Bottas, he's a safe pair of hands and a pretty fast one at that. He rarely made mistakes, and he is still at worst one of the top 10 drivers on the grid. Bottas being a teammate of arguably the greatest of all time really hurts his reputation, despite himself being unbeatable so far against all of his teammates bar Hamilton. It's sad that he's now in a shamble of a team, making zero impression with their ability to create F1 cars for years now.
Indeed. Especially a team that is the embodiment of false dawns since 2022.
Yup, unless you convince tons of top engineers, managers, etc. to all move to one team for you (something happened once and will never again), there’s almost nothing you can do besides hope Newey takes a sabbatical, gets a terrible engine or he’s designing for you. Only 2 titles in the last 32 years didn’t have Newey or Brawn involved car or at least their direct DNA.
I think a driver who is experienced and a good communicator can probably provide more useful test drive and FP feedback, but yeah I agree. This whole noise about Mick being an epicly useful simulation driver for example...lol.
Bottas has his issues but whenever the Alfa had some pace he delivered. Audi should keep him until their operation is really up and running. Pairing him with Nico would be good as it would push him to stay sharp.
Agreed. But I reckon Audi will want a German on board ready to go come 2026.
I honestly think Bottas already accepted that he's not going to be a WC.
He seems content with just being in the grid and like he's happy if he retires as well.
I'm happy for him, but it also means that he probably doesn't really have Audi in mind.
He also doesn't seem to trust in Sauber being able to actually keep up with their end of the deal.
I'm glad he's happy but he needs a better end to his career than cruising at the back.
I would love to see Bottas go back to Williams. It's the team he started with, he's got a good relationship with James Vowles and an Albon/Bottas pairing could be really fun.
I see what you mean, reunting with James; and yes he is looking at other options, but I reckon there is a real chance he could be iced out.
Love the content. You deserve 100K subs!
Bottas is a bit of a Hulkenberg: when the car is decent he'll bring it home.
Otherwise you'll never see him make an aggressive move or do anything risky.
Kinda makes it tragic for Nico. Nico has a decent quali car but we never it get results.
You should do a video on the 2008 season when the Toro Rosso was faster than the Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel was on fire in the Toro Rosso that year and a lot of people initially were saying he had made the wrong choice moving to the underperforming Red Bull for 2009. That would be an interesting analysis
Maybe! It was a very funny anomaly where Red Bull finished behind their junior team. Never again though!
I think you've hit the nail on the head with your thinking/predicition of Perez and Hulkenberg driving for Audi - all the experience, insight, knowledge and skill from Perez, combined with the German media clout of Hulk - and that he still seems to have a spring in his step as seen from his Q stints in the Haas.
That and they get on since they used to be teammates at Force India. They can extract the best out of one another.
I've just realised that I've been watching and enjoying your videos for months, witout being a subscriber. So...congrats, you've just got your first (probably) subscriber from Serbia and a Williams fan 😁 I really like your diction and whole concept of the show. It reminds me of some older British TV shows, back when they were still good. You could easily be a TV presenter...but I like it more this way. It's 100% you and you have all the freedom to do what you want.
Let's push for 100k before the end of 2024. In ladder we trust!
Thank you! I appreciate the kudos. :)
Hi! I would like to ask you when are you going to make the video with the driver transfer predictions for 2025? Will it be this month at least? Thank you and I love your content
I will be probably making that around February once the test sessions are around.
A lot could happen in the driver market this year:
In my opinion, Hulkenberg to Sauber is a given and that would open up a seat for Ollie Bearman at Haas if he wins the F2 title.
Then it could look like this:
Ricciardo performs well and goes to Red Bull ➡ Checo, with his bags full of sponsorships, picks up a multi-year deal with Sauber/Audi and partners Hulkenberg from 2025 onwards. The other option is they give their guy Pourchaire his big break.
That'll leave both Bottas & Zhou without a seat and potentially out of F1. It's not looking good for either of them imo.
i don"t think Audi would go for two old guys.
the Perez/Hülkenberg pairing worked well, ten years ago at Force India, they"re unlikely to bring that back
I doubt Valtteri would get an Audi contract. We can somewhat draw a parallel to Brawn GP getting acquired by Mercedes, both Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button were forced to go elsewhere, and Button was with the team since the BAR days and Barrichello was with them since 2006 and still they got forced out and Button was the World Champion for god sake.
Very good point. Audi have an agenda and will want a German in the team to start off with at least.
Not to mention the quality of the f2 grid coming up! I actually have an interest in this season for the first time! Record breakers coming through like the young kimi.
Yep. Especially with the new car being far more relevant to modern F1.
@@LawVSagreed. The new F2 car will be a good deal closer to F1 than the current F2 car, which is miles off F1 performance.
You say Vallteri is bad at starts but he holds the record for the best race start
We're talking on the course of a whole season. The net start loss/gain.
Bro so many videos, so little time! I'm struggling to keep up with you lately haha
Good stuff though!
Sauber has a really good wind tunnel and people but some of their other facilities are out of date like the stufd Vowles pointed out at Williams
Indeed they do, Audi use it quite regularly.
Excellent title, looking forward to more such puns to Kick off the season
That title gave me a good giggle
Bottas perfectly fits in RedBull.
Sadly, they didn’t fire perez, and now is too late.
He’s quiet, make points, always in Q3 (when at Mercedes), great wingman.
I don't see Bottas at Red Bull. It would be more of the same, if not worse.
But Bottas had the best start ever in the 2019 Japanese GP. His reaction time was 0.04 seconds
We're talking about the net start loss/gain model
Question can you do this video at the end of the 2024 season or at the start of the 2025 year of ranking all of the Sauber and Alfa Romeo driver since 2013 since it has been 11 years since 2013.
Depends how things go.
A poor 2023 really can't be blamed on Bottas. Alfa literally had the slowest car in terms of average pace over the whole season (just check The Race stats) and people are really out here blaming Bottas for not being in the points every race. Back in 2022 when Williams had the worst car, I didnt hear anyone pointing their fingers at Albon and saying he isn't doing a good enough job. ITS ALWAYS THE CAR. Give Bottas a decent car, like at the start of 2022 and he'll make sure to extract everything out of it and get consistent points.
It's not about Bottas solely. The entire unit including drivers didn't inspire confidence.
The modern day DC after his move to RBR.
At least DC got some good runs in.
Great video keep it up you're doing amazing things 😁👍
Ahh, it's no good that Valtteri's seat looks shaky when he's really done the best we could expect, and shown moments of fine inspiration.
It would be great if you could make a podcast on Spotify or Apple Music
Good news! I already have. Search for Ladder Man on Spotify :)
Thanks! Following now@@LawVS
If I were Audi, the first thing I'd do is change the line-up. I like Zhou overall, but he hasn't shown anything really special. And Bottas seems to be in his late Kimi/Seb era, just cruising. The difference is that he's no Kimi or Seb. Swell dude and good driver, but not what I'd want for my team.
I reckon as Audi increase their influence they will have a bigger influence on the choice for 2025.
I could see Bottas being a Salo/McNish type of pick for Audi. Y'know that type of solid-benchmark type that a new manufacturer would like until someone better crops up. No disrespect to Bottas all that said though, yet I can't see where else he'd go though? Back to Williams eventually?
Maybe. I feel Nico is a more curious venture as well as making use of the German connection to get German fans excited again.
James Key was a decent designer when at STR he could use parts from the mother team. At McLaren the MCL35M was already designed when he made his entrance. That car didn't improve. The MCL36 wasn't a great car either and that was his first car at McLaren. The start of the MCL60 with the raised floor edges and defuser throat wasnt great to put it mildly. He was put on non-active and the old team started working as they had done on the MCL35M. This led to the MCL 60 becoming a competitive car for P2. Now the new technical hart is instated......
It was a shame because the MCL36 looked really good with its floor being quite tolerant to ground effect in testing...we shall see.
@@LawVS
My memory stored that differently. The MCL36 and the Alpine A322 in particulair looked stiff, jumpy and cumbersome in testing. With the dropping of the in-wash design in favour of an down-wash design sidepod this got better.
We will see indeed.
"Bottas, his race starts are not the best"
Also Bottas having the best start in F1 history.
I'm referring to the net losses over the course of a season.
I've re-evaluated my opinion of Bottas recently. During the Mercedes years when he was Hamilton's teammate, I was too blinded/frustrated by their dominance to pay much attention to his performances. It was just another Merc win to me.
During the off season I've watched the 2017, 2018 and 2019 season to satiate my F1 addiction, and I've been quite taken aback by what a brilliant performance he put in, especially in 2019. If a few things had gone his way, a few DNF's hadn't happened, etc, he could have won the title that year. He was way ahead early on and looking strong until the mid-season break. Blistering in the qualifying, solid in races.
I think he still has that talent, it's just latent on account of the car he's in. If you, say, sent him to Red Bull, I think he'd do just as well if not better than Perez.
There are certainly drivers who are never going to be regular race winners or championship contenders, no matter what team or car they're in, but I think Valteri has demonstrated he's not one of them. He has a similar story/trajectory to his countryman Kimi, but I think Kimi had a better Sauber car, or perhaps was better at making the most of it.
Part of me doesn't want to see him go, at the same time part of me thinks that the junior driver backup is getting ridiculous.
I think if Bottas had kept up the pace and momentum from the early part of 2022 as had Alfa, he would be a really compelling midfield leader...but that sadly has faded away.
I'd love for Bottas to replace Sargent at Williams.
Going back to his home team (and a mercedes customer team)
Hes a safe pair of hands and could give so much insight to Williams while they rebuild
There's a lot of contracts up for review this year. I would not be surprised if a lot of team bosses have been complaining about half of the grid behind closed doors. When Antonelli, Bortoleto, Bearman and co are ready for F1, a lot of heads have to exit the sport.
Very true. I can see nearly half a dozen drivers leaving.
I think Bottas is done. And not really from his actions in the car. Mostly because I think Audi wants their distance from this entire team and they'll want a fresh slate when they start to take over. Valtteri could be a victim to the change over.
Yeah I reckon Audi isn't exactly over the moon with the direction the team is going right now.
Bottas and zhou are alsorans. Audi need 2 decent drivers who might be tempted to come. So id say Sainz and Albon.
I think Carlos makes a good case but right now he's staking a claim for Ferrari until 2026.
After all the s*it and pressure he's been dealing with in past, he deserves to be happy and to enjoy himself.
Really? There are people dying of famine or worse around the 🌎. But, because while getting millions to do the coolest job in the world, he deserves to waste a seat because he was bummed out he never won a WDC?
@@The_ZeroLine You hear this sound? That's the sound of a world's smallest violin playing.
If you want to complain about injustices of the world, you came to wrong place.
Very true. I'm happy he is happy, first and foremost.
I like the thought of perez hulkenburg pairing, I'd watch that.
Makes sense since they used to be teammates and liked each other.
Hehe he’s a Stake good one
Cheers from Uruguay!
Hearing that Valtteri, doesn’t have a contract option for 2025 with Stake Sauber, I could see Pourchaire alongside Hülkenberg for 2025, instead of him being loaned out to Haas for a year, or taken under Frederic Vasseur’s wing (former Sauber team principal)
He would have to be in there for 2025 or else Theo ain't getting in at all.
I'm sad you didn't have the Bottass calendar in the background.
I didn't know it was readily available.
@@LawVS They were up for sale for quite a while lol, I am not shocked they sold out though.
I think in general Bottas is just overhated. He got more hate for not challenging Lewis for the championship than Perez got for not reaching Q3 and crashing a lot in the most dominant F1 car in recent history.
Bottas was great during the first part of the 2022 season where Sauber showed some real pace. He was also clearly better than Zhou this season and whilst this is expected from him, beating your teammate is the best indicator for a drivers performance. Also Bottas had a lot of bad luck this season. Like getting hit by Alonso in Las Vegas while starting in the top 10. Let's face it, the car was bad this season. So was the Haas. But somehow i feel like Hülkenberg gets a lot of praise for more or less doing the same job as Bottas. Landing somewhere around 10th position at most races in a car that is not good enough for points during most days. So i fail to see how Hülkenberg would be an upgrade over Bottas just from a performance point of view. Some aspects speak for Bottas, others for Hülk. But if i were Sauber, i wouldn't change a thing. Hülk as a replacement for Zhou, sure. But not for Bottas. Also Perez could be an option for Audi but honestly i don't rate him higher than Bottas at all. Especially after last season. I think Audi should stick with Bottas as he knows the team now and neither Perez or Hülk seem a clear upgrade for me. As a fan of the team i'd love to see Gasly alongside Bottas for 2026. Gasly surprised me last season with his adaptability and seems to be a doable option for Audi if they can't get someone like Sainz or Norris / Piastri.
Oh and some people saying Bottas does the same as Räikkönen did and has no drive and goals anymore because he loves to show off his butt, likes riding his bike, drinking beer and just enjoying his best life ist just....weird??
Agreed. When Alfa were on it, Bottas was on it...but when they lacked pace he seemed to be too careful and unwilling to push hard and hustle.
I think a reunion with Williams could have potentially played out better for him instead of going with Alfa Romeo. With an Incoming Albon and James, the familiarity with the team is there as well as the principal. Better chances for points with both cars. Idk, all speculation but fun to think about
It would've been a nice conclusion to his career but I doubt Valtteri would want to be near any Mercedes related remnants.
ayy my favourite driver
At least he's happy where he is.
I personally think that Audi will try to get Sainz, they have a good relationship with his father and Sainz Jr might be tempted to be the main man at a factory team.
Perhaps. They would have to really convince Carlos to drop Ferrari.
Valtteri reminds me of Kimi going to Sauber to semi retire
Kinda, yeah.
Looking at the last two season and given how big the Chinese market is for high end German car, keeping Zhou as the reliable 2nd driver look like the best option.
And Bottas showed in his 5 years at Mercedes and the 2 years with Sauber, that he isn’t a really good leader despite being really quick on his day.
I think it ultimately depends if we get back to Shanghai for a race and not keep having it be cancelled.
I do like the stake pun even if it wasn’t intentional
Last Question for Sauber/Alfa Romeo.
Ranked best to worst all of Sauber and Alfa Romeo drivers since 2013 from Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Gutierrez, Adrian Sutil, Felipe Nasr, Marcus Ericsson, Pascal Wehrlein, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Raikkonen, Antonio Giovinazzi, Valterri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.
Just give your personal ranking best to worst even without explanation.
I can't really do that here other than say that Charles was the most exciting prospect and that Guitierrez was in at the wrong time.
Why is nobody talking about the title of this video???
Oh they are. Getting to the real meat of the topic.
Best name for a video on this topic ever! Gave me a big smile followed by a "hehehe"
He is cruising like Kimi at the moment.
I'm glad he's happy but he's not fiery.
Valtteri does need to step up this season, felt he had quite a forgettable season last year, yes the car was not great but he still didn't have that stand out moment. Yes he does seem more happy and content at Sauber but if he's still wants to be with in Audis plans then he does have to start showing that he's still at his best level.
He really needs to make use of this new car concept.
that video title though 👀 at Stake
Yeah but he's clearly dedicated to becoming an Aussie. We'll take him. He's the first Finn with a sense of humour, and...aaaand a magnificent moustache. Yeah he's in.
Ok a VB tattoo would help 😂😂😂😂😂
Bottas had a problem when he drove for Mercedes and that is if he started back in the pack he seamed like he was overly hesitant to pass any of the other drivers. I heard him blame it on a car that did not work great in traffic...B.S. It is his job to pass cars and get back up front.
Indeed. He seems to be risk averse and would rather bring the car home instead of taking big gambles.
I feel like Sauber could get their act inorder for 2024 with Andreas Seidl and James Key working on it since October I believe. Come to think about it, it makes all the more sense why 2023 went so bad for them, sacrificing that one season to build on the next, kind of like Haas in 2022 although the difference then was that it was a massive regulation change, unlike next year with Sauber. But hey, they always punched above their weight, hope they do so next year. And as for Valterri, he just needs to get his race starts in order and he'll be fine I guess.
I would like to hope so and maybe Audi might start to wield some more sway in where the team goes instead of being very distant.
@@LawVS yes this part about Audi honestly feels way too hands off. Talk about acquiring 25% of an F1 team and then going complete ghost mode on them.
"Valtteri Bottas's F1 Future is at Stake"
I see what you did there
Aaah i see what you did with the title... or i'm crazy? Who knows.
How drivers get away from the line is almost solely down to the car. You have to evaluate how they handle themselves once they get to the first braking zone.
That's why it's a joint effort to ensure the optimal start.
Even when Alonso was in the slowest car on the grid by far, you always noticed him. That’s the difference between a Bottas or Magnussen and an Alonso or Maximum Verstappen. In Valterri’s defense, he neck-and-neck against an aging Felipe Massa. So, yeah, he’s like a slightly faster Kevin Magnussen. He was even out performed by Maldonado.
Bottas scored more than Pastor. And I reckon Bottas is kinda coasting but maybe 2024 might inspire him.
i would take sainz if possible he can lead and built that team bottas cant and hulkie next to sainz 2 experienced drivers to start the journey is smart in my view for developping the car!
I do like the idea of Carlos if he were available but I reckon he is going to try and stick around at Ferrari to see how they handle the 2026 regs.
😎@@LawVS
1:57 a Audi theory.
If I compare Bottas and Zhou in the Sauber/Alfa Romeo drivers they would be here down below.
1. Leclerc as the best
2. Raikkonen
3. Valterri Bottas
4. Marcus Ericsson
5. Antonio Giovinazzi
6. Zhou Guanyu as the worst
In my opinion while Bottas was great and carried the team to get 6th in the constructor championshop I do think this year affected his ranking which made him worse than Raikkonen.
Zhou in his first year and second year was fine but he doesn't have the highs that Ericsson has or the good quali pace that Giovinazzi has.
Also tell me if you agree with my list or will you have change anything from my list.
I'd say this has legs. Zhou is fine not bad but he hasn't inspired a long term career but neither has he been terrible.
"Confident in his own body self...."
And here I was thinking you'd go all British and say "cheeky." Open goal, man! 😉
I don't wanna be obvious ALL OF THE TIME...or else I'd keep hitting bum notes.
It's bad enough to have the reputation of being a "Saturday Merchant," even if it isn't 100% justified by circumstances; just ask George Russell or Charles Leclerc, but it's even worse to not even realize part of that potential on a consistent basis. Sauber _need_ to make a serious impression in the next couple years to silence the doubters; especially those on Audi's management board.
Yep. At least they're going all new with their car instead or rehashing the same concept for the nth time.
The title is confusing
The major role of academies isn't getting drivers seats; it's paying for their time in junior formulas. Many drivers wouldn't get to race at all if they didn't have backing, and it's not like non-academy drivers are doing better. The only recent driver without an academy affiliation to make it onto the grid I can think of is Nikita Mazepin. Yeah.
IMO, the sport needs to step in and regulate academy contracts. If the team doesn't arrange an F1 winner a seat the next year, then they should lose their rights to the driver.
I see what you mean but the end game is so unattainable that many who pray for F1 won't get there.
Just change the rule that the F2 driver can still compete in F2 after winning the title
Works perfect in Motogp, some riders just stay in Moto2
Or at least they get one year more.
alfa started making their own clutches this season which lead to lots of struggles with starts and even when bottas gets a good start he gets tangled up in some crash like in miami. qualified like p7 and t1 gets torpedoed and drops to last place :/
Mexico was quite unfortunate too.
The Real Sauber "Peter Sauber" doesn't invest into his former team. A Austrian News Company told in a video, that Peter Sauber has no more connection to the current Sauber... Alfa Romeo... Stake F1 Team Kicks Sauber Out... It doesn't matter what they call themself.
Valtteri Bottas would gain new options to represent his name, when he is out of formula One. If I remember right, he has his own vodka?
Checo Perez and Hulkenberg in Audi is quite realistic, even though I had this thought in my head: after Red Bull, he should switch to a racing series that has a greater focus on city circuits.
And I really think that Audi wants experienced drivers in their first years in formula One. And I want to say, they will do a better job then Haas and alpine in the last 8 years.
He has his own gin so he will go do that as well as take up more cycling events with his partner. Maybe even try out for the Olympics.
Audi are behaving right now like they're just getting rid of the responsibility which will affect them badly for the new regulations to come, and for Valtteri I hope he'll deliver this season and change team by the end of it (Haas/Williams), he still a great driver with more experience than most of the grid.
I think you have a point. They're keeping themselves at arm's length in case there's any negative press before they come in and wield full control.
I know it’s been said before but Maybe Hulk and Mick become the two German drivers for the team just like Rosberg and Michael when Mercedes joined the grid? Have a true German team for marketing plus both drivers are good.
Maybe but I reckon Mick's going to go down the Alpine route.
There are similarities with the early years of the BMW Sauber days....
And yet Audi aren't even in the sport yet!
ITS GETTING COLD ISNT IT? hahaha sweaters are a vibe currently
How can you tell?
0:58 he will stake his claim at Stake F1 Team
Valteri's future is at 'STAKE' I see what you did there 😂
I knew what you did with that title.
I love Valtteri but with the results of the last 2 seasons at Alfa Romeo, I think a race seat in the Audi F1 team is a reach for him.
He needs to have a great season to have any shot at Audi.
He played the Alfa hand and whilst it started off good, they didn't have the assets to keep it going.
@@LawVS no question that at the start of 2022, when Alfa had the lightest car in F1, Valtteri had a few really really good races and a solid start to the season, which led to the P6 in constructors that year. But after that solid start, the team tailed off in the rest of 2022 and has never recovered. Last season was an embarrassment for the team and drivers. And I just don’t think that he’s going to be in the Audi seat unless he gives an Alex Albon type performance in 2024 - that is, carrying his team to a higher position than perhaps it should be based on the car.
I honestly love yet hate the layers of the title of this video.
Since Sauber/Alfa Romeo was my favorite team since 2013.
Tell me if you agree with my driver rankings from best to worst.
1. Hulkenberg as the best
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Kimi Raikkonen
4. Felipe Nasr
5. Paschal Wehrlein
6. Valterri Bottas
7. Marcus Ericsson
8. Adrian Sutil
9. Antonio Giovinazzi
10. Zhou Guanyu
11. Esteban Gutierrez as the worst
Now in the comments tell me if you agree or if there any changes you would do in my list example if this driver should be higher or if this driver should be lower things like that.
Nico, their best? That's a little steep but he IS up there. I think Charles, if he were there for 2019, would've been even better.
I think Bottas still thinks he can't compare to Lewis' Mr. reliable. In an interview he talks about merc backing Lewis over him because of consistency and I think those mental blocks and lack of car are holding him back. As an onlooker that is, his race starts don't stand out to me. We've seen what this man can do at his best, beating Lewis to pole and on track, a man that most still consider the best driver on grid and I personally think he has it in him to be one of if not the best driver on grid. Porridge or not, I hope he can find his setup, his car, and his team to back him in a fight for a real championship run. No more "Valtteri, its James..." Maybe its bias but he is a race winner, and I still think if you give him the car to win a race, he can do it.
I'm glad he can be his own man and a leader but 2024 needs to fully showcase his potential or else Audi won't be convinced in him staying.
4:44 What do you mean Bottas can't get a good start? In the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix, he had a 0.04 reaction time. He also had a 0.201 reaction time at the 2017 Austrian Grand Prix.
The Hulk will not smash when he goes to Audi. He won't last more than 2 years as their #2 driver (pun intended).
We're referring to the net loss/gain over a season.
Sainz is way better to lead Audi into F1. He’s younger, faster, manages his team more and most of all still cares. I haven’t seen Bottas care for a while now. And I like the guy.
He'd make a great leader but I sense he's gonna hang in there at Ferrari for as long as possible.
@@LawVS very much possible. If so, Hülkenberg or one of the Alpine drivers might be plan B over Bottas. Albon would be better still, but he’s wanted by many teams.
a return to Williams would be interesting i think.
Maybe but I reckon Williams are prioritising their new talent.
I feel bad for Theo, hell of a driver, dominated every single feeder series he race at and just might not get a seat.
Took him a little longer in F2 though, but yes...the Sauber Academy NEEDS to get him for 2025 or else that's curtains for him.
@@LawVS Sauber should drop zhou imo since sure he's stayed out of trouble and crashes but he just doesn't have the pace. Theo could be a good driver for the future.
Is the title an intentional pun?
Valtteri's team changing its name to Stake...
After the missed opportunity of "Haas to go" you went for a pun
Well done
I saw and I am so pleased for her. I hope that and the BOSS GP work will teach her more about working with a whole crew in much faster machinery. More neck training too!
Zhou in F2 days, all so have the same problem, with race starts, he loses places.
Hence why I mentioned that Zhou wasn't much better. Hence why Sauber need to work on a start system that can aid them.
I don't think it's fair to say Bottas hasn't done anything to state his claim to the seat. Back at the start of 2022, he was regularly battling the mercs and scored points finish after points finish. Then the car dropped off substantially, so it was really hard to score anything major. In 2023 the car was awful from the get go, so I just don't think it's fair to say he is not doing enough, since with a car that terrible, it is a miracle to even place 10th. Yeah he was really anonymous last year, but I don't understand why people keep blaming him for it, since his team mate didn't do a whole lot either.
Oh he has done his best but it hasn't been enough nor has Sauber given him the tools to show Audi what for.
Like his hair, his best is behind him 😂😂😂
Oof
They should replace him with LawVS
Nico will be 28 by the time Audi comes around. Surely they won't look at his age and think he's fit for the drive, especially after his 0 points scored in the second half of this season?
Did he time travel?
@@LawVS wishful thinking from me it seems! 😭
I find it funny that almost every team said that they got a new car for the next season, Ferrari, Mercedes, Sauber, Williams, I wonder who is actually the fastests, cause we might get 2 stories here, all of them lied and Red Bull and Mclaren are the fastest or all of them are fast and we get a 7 team fight for the title. Which is impossible
I think most teams have had to completely change their focus in the wake of the Red Bull concept and formalise their cars into that avenue of development properly instead of Frankensteining it.
McLaren was the only team that happened to have the same suspension configuration as the RB19, which made it far easier for them to mimic the RB19 concept. I expect other teams will have the same config on their new cars.
I hope the Audi lineup in 2026 is Vettel and Bottas
I hope Vettel comes back as some kind of consultant.
I just think Bottas / Hulkenberg / Perez line up is a very Toyota line up, too safe. They need to spend the money and get a Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Alonso or Norris.
I see what you mean but if Key is right and Audi is looking for 2027 to fully kick on, it might put off some bigger younger drivers.
Look at Honda. Button was fairly anonymous until they had a great car as Brawn and he became world champion. Not saying Bottas is WDC material but even good drivers can't do much with bad cars.
Always felt that Bottas went to Sauber just remain in F1, he’s not a cheap driver and not now successful one either, maybe time to move on for him ?
He needs a car that can work with him. Maybe 2024 will be better.