Bottas on Sauber's F1 downfall: 'When Vasseur left, it all fell to pieces'
F1
Since the departure of team principal Fred Vasseur, Sauber's Formula 1 team has crumbled — leaving Valtteri Bottas to struggle for a return to the front of the grid
Vasseur helped move Sauber/Alfa Romeo in right direction
When Valtteri Bottas left the Mercedes F1 team at the end of 2021, he didn’t anticipate that it would be the last time he ran with the F1 pacesetters.
With an ambitious plan, spearheaded by then team boss Fred Vasseur, the ten-time F1 race-winner had hopes of developing a competitive car with his new team, Sauber — then badged Alfa Romeo.
But, three years on, Bottas now faces the prospect of ending of his Formula 1 career without a single point in this year’s championship. He has no deal for 2025 or beyond, when Sauber will be rebranded as Audi, which has taken over the team.
In an exclusive interview with Motor Sport, published in our latest December 2024 issue, Bottas identified one key moment when his and Sauber’s fortunes changed: the departure of Fred Vasseur to Ferrari.
“Things changed a lot because when I joined it was a three-year project,” says Bottas. “As we spoke with Fred [Vasseur, Sauber team principal until the end of 2022], we agreed on certain targets. Year one was good, especially the first part of the year, but Fred left and the whole idea of the project changed.
“Obviously, I don’t blame Fred because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to Ferrari and he is doing a great job. That changed my situation quite a bit.”
It’s been a heavy fall from grace for Bottas at Sauber
Grand Prix Photo
Vasseur’s reputation has soared since joining Ferrari at the end of 2022. The Frenchman has transformed the Scuderia back into a winning machine, in contention for the constructors’ championship in 2024.
Charles Leclerc, who worked with Vasseur in his own time at Sauber in 2018 and now again at Ferrari, has continuously praised his team principal for changing the culture in Maranello.
“He tries to understand every single individual within the team, to try and understand the situation and to put them in the best possible conditions in order to extract the maximum out of each individual,” Leclerc explained to F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast. “That is definitely one of the biggest strengths of Fred.”
Vasseur was having a similar effect on Sauber — which had become a regular midfield contender during the Frenchman’s five year reign at the helm — and had set ambitious targets as Bottas joined the team in 2022. But when Maranello called, Sauber was quickly left to flounder.
“We got a new leadership in the team and that initial target we set with Fred, it just all started to fall to pieces,” said Bottas. “I was still trying to do the best I can in terms of development and everything, but things changed and I’ve been unlucky at the moment being in the slowest car on the grid. So it hasn’t gone as planned.”
Bottas has grown accustomed to running at the rear of the F1 field
Grand Prix Photo
The move to the Swiss outfit, based in Hinwil was initially considered a good one for Bottas. He’d played second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton during his time at Mercedes and had been contractually treated as such — jumping from one short-term deal to the next.
Signing a multi-year deal with Sauber not only offered him long-term stability but the chance to lead his own team.
However, the departure of Vasseur led to turmoil within the team, which was already in a state of flux, given its imminent takeover: it will be rebranded Audi and run entirely by the German car manufacturer from 2026.
In the wake of Vasseur’s departure, former McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl was recruited as Sauber CEO, charged with leading the team into the new Audi era. But, just 18 months later, he was replaced by Mattia Binotto — Vasseur’s predecessor at Ferrari — following a slump in form.
As Bottas admits, it hasn’t quite “gone to plan” but the Finn still believes that despite the lack of points on the leaderboards, he’s a better driver than he was during his race-winning days at Mercedes.
“I’m having a good season,” says Bottas. “If you are spectating from afar, if you don’t know the details, it looks not great at all. But I feel really good in the car. It’s a shame we can’t see it in the results, but at least the people who know, know.”
The future of the Finn is still currently unconfirmed, as his multi-year contract with Sauber is set to expire at the end of 2024 and he’s yet to be offered an extension.
Nico Hülkenberg has already been confirmed as one half of the team’s driver line-up for next year — a driver choice influenced by Audi, which is completing its takeover of Sauber.
That means there is only one other seat available for 2025, and Bottas is one of many names on the list who could fill the void, alongside F2 star Gabriel Borteleto, Mick Schumacher, Sauber junior Theo Pourchaire and current team-mate Zhou Guanyu.
Bottas (left) and Zhou (right) have shown pace in a Sauber, but only one will be in an F1 race seat next year
Grand Prix Photo
Bottas arguably has an advantage over most other applicants for Sauber’s 2025 race seat. Not only can he actively prove himself over the final four rounds of the 2024 season, but he’s also demonstrated himself as a good team-mate — a characteristic that can be invaluable when battling for critical places in the constructors’ standings.
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Cambridge Kisby
“Some drivers are dominant in that they need to be number one, they need to kill their team-mate in each session, every race,” says Bottas. “But I can work with anyone. You need that harmony and that good atmosphere to aim for long-term improvements. I’ve really enjoyed my role with the team, especially in the first year with [rookie] Zhou. I’m a racer, so I always want to finish ahead but I also do what a team-mate needs to do. Hopefully, some people see the value in that.”
There was a point earlier in 2024, in the depths of Sauber’s underperformance, when Bottas’ relationship with the team had soured. He felt he was part of a different project to the one he’d originally be sold on. But the Finn remains hopeful that he can return to his winning ways.
“It’s tough to accept you’re not in the best car, that you’re not fighting for the world championship,” he says. “It’s all about the mindset. You have to be realistic about the performance we have and the target. My job is to make the most out of the car and the team, try and help things to get better. Before I joined, I had lots of time to reset but I still miss the feeling of knowing going into a weekend it’s a chance for a win. I hope that happens again.”
