F1 News
Debate | 'Alfa Romeo would be wise to replace Bottas'
- GPblog.com
At last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas did not perform at all, as the Finn finished nineteenth in his Alfa Romeo. Meanwhile, teammate Zhou Guanyu took two points with a very professional performance. Slowly, the Chinese driver seems to be emerging as the leader of the Swiss team, while Bottas' performance is slipping. Therefore, 'Is Alfa Romeo wise to replace Bottas' is the question we put to our readers.
Bottas had high hopes coming to the Swiss team, but the last season under the Alfa Romeo name - before they continue under the original name, Sauber F1 - is going very badly. Only in the first Grand Prix in Bahrain did the experienced Finn manage to earn points thanks to an eighth-place finish. The rest is doom and gloom: 18th, 11th, 18th again, 13th, 11th and now 19th.
From 2026, Alfa Romeo/Sauber will be Audi's works team. The intervening time could possibly be seen as transitional years. And with the upcoming change in engine regulations, the team founded by Peter Sauber wants to make serious steps towards the top. With his knowledge and proven talent, Bottas could be of great value in the transition to Audi.
Prefer cycling?
On the other hand, the Finnish driver is not currently showing he is as fast as he was in his years at Williams and Mercedes. It is possible that Bottas' years are also starting to count, and he would rather be on a racing bike than in a Formula 1 car. So why not give a huge talent like Theo Pourchaire the chance to gain experience now, so that from 2026 onwards, he will be well-versed and can immediately help realise Audi's ambitions?
In short: should Alfa Romeo take the plunge and replace Bottas? What do you think? Let us know in the comments!