‘Hope to Have a Fast Car’: Valtteri Bottas Shoots for 2026 Audi Seat, Demanding Immediate Changes

The Sauber F1 Team has been a hot property in recent days. And no, it is not their performance, contract, or driver scenario leading to fame. Actually, it’s their name. Alfa Romeo wanted out after an unsuccessful campaign in the sport and now Sauber is just left by itself with Stake and Kick as partners. Nonetheless, with Audi taking over from 2026 onwards, the future looks bright. Valtteri Bottas would want to stay but has not fired a shot at Sauber demanding immediate changes. But why?

Alfa Romeo finished 2nd from bottom in the Constructors’ Championship this year with only 16 points to their name. 2022 wasn’t that great either, but at least they finished in P6 in the championship. 2019, 2020, and 2021 were all years where the team finished near the bottom of the championship. Valtteri Bottas joined the team last year after George Russell replaced the Finn at Mercedes. 

Moving away from a championship-winning team to a backmarker wasn’t an ideal situation for Bottas, but that was the only option he had. With a major brand like Audi coming into the sport and taking over Sauber, Bottas’ hopes of getting back to the front are high. However, his Sauber contract runs out at the end of next year. And with no standout performance to show in the last couple of years, Bottas might be on his way out of F1. But it isn’t his fault. The car just hasn’t been good. 

Explaining the same situation, Bottas has now demanded Sauber to improve upon the team, pour in more resources, and make the car faster so that he is able to put up a good audition during the 2024 season for a potential Audi seat. According to Formulapassion.it, Bottas said, “I believe that these discussions will take place next year.” As he talked about an Audi seat. He added, “Now everything is still quite open. I hope to find a little more rhythm and have a car with which I can do something. In this way, I want to show Audi that my speed and experience would be valuable to them.”

Demanding his team to make the changes, Bottas added, “There is a lack of manpower, there is a need for more people throughout the team and in the factory. Andreas Seidl is aware of this, and is working hard on this aspect.” He continued, “It will take some time to figure out how this will affect the team in the future. For me, there is still a bit of a lack of resources. Over the winter, we simply didn’t make the progress in the wind tunnel that other teams made.”

Read More: Will Valtteri Bottas’ Return to Partner Lewis Hamilton Solve Mercedes’ 2nd Seat Paradox?

The car performance isn’t the only thing nagging the team. Their recent change of name sparked a huge response from the fans and it wasn’t a pleasant one. Just days after the outburst, Sauber has now come out with an update on the name situation.

Sauber F1 to make further changes to their name. 

Alfa Romeo decided to leave the sport after 5 underwhelming years in the sport. Their highlight in those 5 years? If you ask us, probably the beautiful liveries of their cars. Nonetheless, after the departure, Stake was announced as the title sponsor and Kick.com came in as a major sponsor as well. The new name? “Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber”. However, following the response, Sauber has released a new update on the name situation. 

The team’s Twitter handle wrote, “It seems our recently released team name has been getting a lot of attention. While we’re not ready to unveil the final result yet, we are aware of what’s at stake. Rest assured, we’re on a mission to unleash the most exciting team identity this team has ever seen. Gone are the days of the short and sweet. We’re cooking up a feast.”

Watch this Story: Christian Horner Speaks Up on Possible Audi-Porsche 2026 F1 Partnership – “Would Be Very Easy…”

What do you think the new name will be? If they suggest the days of short and sweet are gone, they’d probably be coming out with a 10-word name.