Valtteri Bottas Open to a Shift Across the Pond as He Reveals His Post F1 Plans: “IndyCar Is Quite Interesting, But…”

Valtteri Bottas has arguably been one of the most underrated drivers in Formula 1’s history. The only man who could beat Lewis Hamilton consistently on a single-lap pace always fell short of taking the fight to the 7x Champion in terms of race pace and championships. However, at Alfa Romeo, he finally got the leader’s seat his talents deserve.

It seems unlikely now that the Finn would be in contention for a shot at the title. Hence, it’s only normal for him to consider his options for glory in other series and categories. When asked about carving a niche for himself in IndyCar, Bottas wasn’t too miffed with that prospect.

While on a podcast with host Kevin Clark, the Finn spoke about his IndyCar aspirations. He began by reiterating his wish to stay in F1. He said, “I still definitely have a few more years in Formula 1, no doubt. I still feel like I have things to give for our sport.”

However, when asked about IndyCar, he said, “IndyCar is quite interesting, but we’ll see.”

He then went on to explain himself, “The race tracks are nice, the racing seems really real, and from my understanding, [there’s] a little bit less politics than F1. Yeah, it seems like it’s been gaining popularity recently.”

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Even though Bottas now believes he’s going to be in F1 for the long haul, back in 2018, after a miserable season where he finished 5th in the standings, he was as close as one could get to quitting the sport altogether.

Valtteri Bottas opens up about “tough” decision to quit F1 after horrendous 2018 season

Formula 1 drivers cannot accept being 2nd. That’s what they do, they fight to win. However, at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas was arguably the chaperone to Lewis Hamilton‘s titles. But back in 2018, after having a squalid season with the Silver Arrows, the Finn had decided enough was enough.

Sharing his story with ESPN, he said, “With the headspace that I got myself into — not accepting to be in a support role and all these kind of things — it was quite difficult to deal with.”

To explain why he never quit, he revealed, “I never physically held the phone in my hand with Toto‘s number on it, so I didn’t get that close, but still it was a tough New Year. I couldn’t decide.”.

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If Valtteri Bottas went to IndyCar, would he thrive? Or his talents are best suited for F1?