Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas has opened up about his future in Formula 1 as he hopes to continue to drive into his 40s. Bottas with the Italian Outfit hasn’t had a great 2023 season so far but believes that he still has the ability to perform at the highest level. Talking about his future, Bottas has opened up about a few factors which could factor in when he makes a decision about his future.
The 33-year-old is one of the more experienced drivers on the current F1 grid with 205 Grands Prix starts so far in his career. This tally makes him the fourth most experienced driver in the 2023 pool as Bottas stands behind Fernando Alonso, his former Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, and Sergio Perez.
Speaking about driving in his 40s on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Valtteri Bottas talked about the state of F1 and his role in a team in that time period as a major factor in his decision. “It's hard to say,” said Bottas. “It obviously depends [on] the way the sport is going. What's the situation in the sport? Which team are you in? How is the atmosphere? At some point, what comes to you is all the travelling.
He also emphasised the travelling aspect of FI as he said, “Would you rather be racing [on] another side of the globe, or would you rather actually not pack your suitcase and stay home? I think that's going to come at some point. It's pretty consuming. I'm still more than happy to do it for quite a long time. But I'll tell you, when I'm 39, if I go for 40. It's hard to commit to at the moment, but I still have many, many years for sure.”
Further speaking about his future, Valtteri Bottas stated that how he isn’t that old in comparison to other veteran drivers on the grid and believes that he still has the ability to put in high-quality performances in F1. “I'm still young compared to some," said Bottas.
"I'm 33. I still don't see my Formula 1 career ending in the near future and I don't feel any performance losses on my driving or the way I work with the team. It is interesting for the whole race team and company, what is happening. Of course, being part of a car manufacturer is something that you almost need if you want to win in Formula 1,” he concluded.