Valtteri Bottas will leave Sauber after the 2024 Formula 1 season but is understood to already be close to signing back with Mercedes as its reserve driver from next year.

In what has been an awful year for Sauber – still 2024’s only point-less team – Bottas’s place beyond the deal he struck when leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2021 season, when Sauber was branded as Alfa Romeo, was threatened as plans for Audi’s 2026 arrival accelerated.

First, Sauber hired Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg in a deal covering the 2025 season ahead of the Audi rebrand for the following year, with Bottas’s team-mate Zhou Guanyu not in contention to keep the sole remaining racing seat with the team.

Sauber then entered a turbulent period of management change, with previous bosses – former CEO Andrea Seidl and chairman Oliver Hoffmann – axed and ex-Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto hired as chief operating and chief technical officer. Red Bull sporting director Johnathan Wheatley also joined to be Sauber team principal from 2025.

In Brazil last weekend Bottas said doing a new deal with Sauber was still “what I’m pushing for with Mattia”.

But over the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend Motorsport.com reported that Formula 2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto has agreed a deal to race for the Swiss team for next year after it missed out on signing Williams-bound Carlos Sainz, its long-held target.

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44

Photo by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Images

“A situation like this is never easy for anyone,” Bottas said. “But after all the good and in-depth discussions we had in the past weeks, we realised that the conditions to grow this project together were not met.

“These past years with the team have been an incredible journey, full of growth, challenges, and unforgettable moments. I’m grateful for the joint experiences as well as the trust and support I’ve felt every step of the way.

“Though it’s time to move on, I’ll always carry a piece of this team with me, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for us both.”

Mattia Binotto, COO & CTO, Sauber Motorsport AG: “We extend our deepest gratitude to Valtteri for the past three years together. He has been the embodiment of professionalism, using his vast experience to support the team’s growth. Valtteri’s dedication and approach have been invaluable during a pivotal time in our history, and the memories of these years will stay with us for a long time. In considering our driver line-up for the coming seasons, Valtteri was unquestionably a key candidate. With his fighting spirit, he frequently pushed the car beyond its performance limits. However, a decision had to be made. After open and constructive discussions, we mutually concluded that final conditions could not be met so we agreed that it is time to part ways. Valtteri will always have an open door here in Hinwil.”

Sauber’s decision means Bottas’s current F1 racing career will likely be capped at 10 wins from 246 races, come the end of the current campaign in Abu Dhabi next month.

But he could yet see more action with his former team, after saying returning to what he called the “Mercedes family” at Interlagos was “for sure one option and I would consider it”.

Motorsport.com understands that discussions between Mercedes and Bottas have been going on for several weeks, with the squad set to field a team made up of drivers it has supported all the way to F1 – George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli – in 2025.

Although the path back to the full-time racing driver from a reserve role is difficult, F1 has had a surge in super-sub appearances in recent years.

This was turbocharged by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Hulkenberg, in particular, gaining a series of unexpected appearances for what is now Aston Martin after leaving Renault at 2019’s end.

Injury replacements have been required elsewhere and this year Williams axed Logan Sargeant well before the end of the current campaign, although opted to replace him with its junior driver, Franco Colapinto.

But Hulkenberg’s story is one particularly relevant to Bottas, as it was his regular place in the F1 paddock as Aston’s reserve that helped him stay in regular contact with then Haas team principal Guenther Steiner and eventually to a deal to rejoin the grid as a full-time racer with the American squad in 2023.

It is not currently known when any deal for Bottas to return to Mercedes might be announced, but Sauber is predicted to be confirming the deal for Bortoleto – currently a McLaren junior – this week.

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NASCAR has penalized the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota of Bubba Wallace, the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Austin Dillon, and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Ross Chastain, due to what the Series has deemed potential race manipulation after the review of Sunday’s radio communications of those teams during the Martinsville Cup race.

The penalties are the same for the all three drivers and teams across the board: A $100,000 fine, the loss of 50 driver and owner points, and one-race suspensions for crew chiefs, spotters and key team executives.

A closer look at how the penalties impact each team

23XI Racing team executive Dave Rogers, No. 23 crew chief Bootie Barker, and spotter Freddie Kraft have all been suspended. The points penalty drops Wallace from 17th to 18th in the championship standings.

Trackhouse team executive Tony Lunders, No. 1 crew chief Phil Surgen, and spotter Brandon McReynolds have been suspended for the championship finale as well. Chastain’s points position does not change as he remains 19th. 

At RCR, team executive Keith Rodden, No. 3 crew chief Justin Alexander, and spotter Brandon Benesch have been suspended for one race. The loss of 50 points affects Dillon the most, dropping him from 28th to 33rd in the driver standings.

All three teams will appeal. 23XI released the following statement, saying they are “aware of the penalty issued by NASCAR stemming from Sunday’s race at Martinsville. We feel strongly that we did not commit any violations during Sunday’s race and we will appeal NASCAR’s ruling.”

What did they do? 

Now, these punishments come as a result of what happened in the closing laps of the Round of 8 elimination race. As the checkered flag approached at Martinsville, Christopher Bell was trapped a lap down unable to gain any positions. William Byron was near the front, but fading on old tires. Only one point separated them with Byron having the edge.

Dillon and Chastain formed a rolling roadblock of sorts behind Byron, running side-by-side and never truly attempting to pass him. More importantly, they prevented anyone else from challenging the No. 24. At one point, the No. 3 team openly asked if the No. 1 knew “the deal” before instructing Dillon’s crew chief to inform Chastain’s crew chief.

While this was happening, the Toyota of Wallace was about half-a-lap ahead of Bell. “God forbid if we don’t help a f****** JGR car,” he radioed to his team. As the situation grew more dire for Bell, Wallace abruptly slowed, reporting a possible tire issue despite later observations from his spotter that all of the tires were fully inflated. Wallace’s pace fluctuating wildly but he remained on the track. On the final lap, he dropped nearly three seconds off the pace and Bell caught him entering the final corner on the final lap.

Bell got the point he needed — he was in the Championship 4 — for 27 minutes before NASCAR penalized him for the accidental wall-ride that followed his pass on Wallace.

“We’ve been saying this for quite some time — manufacturers have way too much say in the outcomes of these races and the manufacturers — I’m part of one, but they’ve ruined superspeedway racing.”

Speaking on his popular podcast, Actions Detrimental, Denny Hamlin made his feelings about manufacturer meddling clear to his co-host Jared Allen. The 23XI team co-owner, who partners with Toyota, understands manufacturers are crucial for the series, but believes there needs to be a line drawn in the sand at some point.

“I don’t know what you do about this. NASCAR’s not going to do anything to the manufacturers because that is their bread and butter. They do not want to do anything that upsets manufacturers. They’ve been trying for a decade now to get another one into our sport and they certainly cannot afford for one to leave.”

What can NASCAR do about manufacturer influence?

So how can the series crack down on manufacturer influence without losing one of the three OEMs? Hamlin’s idea involves a NASCAR championship that is rarely talked about.

“Fine them manufacturer series points?” he openly asked. “The manufacturers really do care about that quite a bit. We’ve got to do something to reel this back in because its happening way too often.”

But of course, Hamlin’s own manufacturer and the team he co-owns has been swept up in some of the controversy following Sunday’s Round of 8 elimination race. Bubba Wallace was being kept apprised of the fluctuating points situation and Christopher Bell‘s place on track. He then appeared to have an issue that caused him to rapidly slow. Bell caught him on the final lap for the critical point that would have put him in the Championship 4, but the wall-ride that followed made it all for not as NASCAR later penalized him.

As for what was wrong with Wallace’s car, the initial radio discussed a possible tire issue before his spotter later observed the tires to be fully inflated. They then connected it to the mechanical failure that put his teammate out of the race earlier. Whatever it was, NASCAR likely knows the answer by now as they tore the car down after the race.

No Toyota team orders

As for any possible shenanigans, Hamlin was adamant that such things aren’t part of how Toyota Racing operates.

“The only thing I can tell you for a fact because I am part of Toyota racing is Toyota racing never — not once this week — told 23XI to do anything for JGR,” said Hamlin. “They were not involved whatsoever. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a conversation saying if this happens then you have to do this. They’ve never said that, even on superspeedways. They’ve left it up to the teams to just kind of: ‘You guys figure it out. We’re going to provide you what we provide you but we hope you work together,’ but that’s it.

“There’s never been any rules that Toyota has laid out to say ‘this is what we want you to do.’”

We now wait to see if NASCAR will take any action against Wallace, or the Chevrolet duo of Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain, who appeared to be guarding the No. 24 of William Byron in the closing laps. Any possible penalties would normally be announced within the next 24 hours.

Jeff Gordon had his own thoughts on manufacturer allegiances with a far more positive outlook than Hamlin.