Valtteri Bottas keen to see Sauber lay groundwork for Audi to seamlessly integrate and challenge big boys

Valtteri Bottas has been in a new mood altogether ever since he joined Alfa Romeo from Mercedes.

For long, Bottas had been in the shadow of Mercedes number 1 Lewis Hamilton and at Alfa Romeo, the Finnish driver discovered a new source of motivation being the team’s leader on the track.

Alfa Romeo, who partner Sauber, have already announced their decision to end this association after 2023.

This will give Sauber two years to run without a team lined up as of now till they are absorbed by Audi.

The 2026 season, when Audi makes its entry, will also be marked by new engine regulations.

That is something the German outfit is already aware of and is believed to be keen on signing a German development driver as soon as 2023.

Bottas is keen to ensure that Sauber does not rest on its laurels and instead looks to build momentum before Audi finally takes over.

He believes the next three years can lay the necessary foundation for Audi to have a seemless integration into F1 and truly challenge the big teams at the top.

Bottas was asked if despite plentry of movement behind the scenes, Sauber needed to be quick on its feet and continue to develop.

“The two seasons that, for now, the team is non-branded, if I was Audi, I’d already try and support somehow, but let’s see,” Bottas said.

“It’s still far away but it’s good and exciting but at the same time, we all want to respect the support of Alfa Romeo and not to think about it too much and talk too much about it.

“We are still Alfa Romeo F1 team [for 2023] and we definitely want to finish that journey on a high.”

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