F1 star 'slacking off' as exit predicted with Lewis Hamilton factor now absent

31 August 2023 , 08:00

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F1 star 'slacking off' as exit predicted with Lewis Hamilton factor now absent

A former Formula 1 journalist and team manager believes Valtteri Bottas has "lost his edge" and might have one eye on retirement.

The Finn races for the Sauber team branded as Alfa Romeo these days, having spent five seasons alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. During that time, he was a capable deputy for the Brit but was never able to mount a serious challenge against him.

After leaving for Alfa Romeo, Bottas talked about the low points he suffered during that time with the Silver Arrows. In a much less strict environment, he has talked many times about how much more relaxed and free he feels these days.

But long-time F1 journalist Peter Windsor thinks the 34-year-old might be a little too carefree now he no longer has that target to aim at like he did when alongside Hamilton. Especially given the team is currently in the process of becoming the Audi works team when the German carmaker officially enters the sport from 2026.

Windsor said: "I like Valtteri, good bloke, and he was very quick in the early days. He's still pretty quick now, but he does seem to have difficulties stitching the whole weekend together. He'll seem quick on a Friday and then it falls away in qualifying, or he has a decent qualifying and it falls away in the race, a little bit like that [on Sunday].

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"Is Valtteri slacking off as an F1 driver? I suspect he has a little bit. We've seen him on occasions this year looking pretty sharp and going well, not massively quicker than Zhou Guanyu, but looking good. But I think there is a little bit of loss of edge with Valtteri, which comes with the life he's living now.

"I think, looking ahead into the future, he can see the Audi takeover if you like and the rebranding and the whole new technology, probably isn't going to include Valtteri Bottas. It might in some sort of managerial or advisory role, probably not thinking of himself as a driver. And then he's probably thinking, 'Well, that's my moment'.

"He's not thinking, 'I'll back away' at all, but I think when those thoughts start to come into your head, for example I can't imagine Oscar Piastri or Liam Lawson are thinking, 'When am I going to retire?' I think in Valtteri's case possibly there is a little bit of that. But give him a good racing car, good set of tyres, free lap, he'll be as quick as anybody – most people, anyway."

Bottas' current contract guarantees him a place with the team next season. But, beyond that, Audi will want to start to form the driver line-up it wants to have in place for its first full season. Zhou can earn a place in that if he begins to add results to the flashes of promise he is showing, while Carlos Sainz is understood to be the top choice to drive for the team.

Daniel Moxon