Racing Futures Hang in the Balance: Bottas in Talks with Audi, Colapinto Eyes Focus Amid Sauber Speculations

A fresh face enters the race for a Sauber seat in 2025, as Valtteri Bottas remains tight-lipped about what lies ahead.

Franco Colapinto is not allowing rumors of a potential move to Sauber for the 2025 Formula 1 season to divert his focus.

Following his remarkable performance, finishing eighth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Williams chief James Vowles expressed his ambition to collaborate with Sauber in securing a permanent racing position for Colaptino for the upcoming season.

The remaining viable spot on the grid is with Sauber, set to transition into Audi by 2026, currently holding the second seat open.

Red Bull has not yet disclosed who will join Yuki Tsunoda as a teammate at VCARB, with expectations leaning towards Liam Lawson securing the position ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.

Regarding the second seat at Sauber, it is believed that Valtteri Bottas and Gabriel Bortoleto are the primary candidates under consideration.

In an interview with F1TV in Singapore, Colaptino expressed that he is completely uncertain about what the future holds for next year.

"He admitted to being clueless on the matter, stating, "I'm part of the Williams team, and James has presented me with a fantastic chance. I'm incredibly proud of our collective accomplishments, especially considering it's only my second race."

"I'm completely uncertain about the events of 2025; it's not something I'm currently contemplating. That's the reason I have a team of managers planning my agenda for the upcoming season."

"I'm not dwelling on many things at the moment. My concentration is solely on this year and the incredible chance I've been given to compete in F1 midway through the season."

Colapinto emphasized that his focus is not on what lies ahead but rather on making a strong impression in the upcoming seven races.

"My objective has always been to secure a spot in F1 and maintain it. The chance that Williams gave me holds immense value, fulfilling a dream I've harbored from a very young age," he further mentioned.

"I'm fully embracing the experience and I believe that's the key aspect. The duration of this journey is uncertain, whether I'll remain in this position next year is unknown… I'm not concerned nor am I dwelling on such matters."

Bottas' perspective

Bottas has stated that discussions are still in progress with Audi's new leader, Mattia Binotto, suggesting that a conclusion might be reached before the United States Grand Prix.

"He detailed, "Discussions have been ongoing for some time now with both Mattia since his arrival and Alessandro. I'm not at liberty to disclose a lot. Perhaps I'm slightly more informed than others, but our attention should be on this weekend's races.

"Fortunately, there's a decent interval before the upcoming race to further our discussions, and then we'll observe the outcome."

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