Valtteri Bottas surprised to have a new race engineer at the last minute
The start of the weekend in Miami at Sauber is quite unstable after Valtteri Bottas' race engineer was changed at the last minute. The main person concerned had not been informed.
Valtteri Bottas seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Sauber’s decision to assign him a new race engineer for the F1 Miami Grand Prix this weekend.
It was revealed on Thursday that Bottas will have a new race engineer for Miami. The former Mercedes driver had been working with Alex Chan since joining the team in early 2022. As it is a sprint weekend, car setup will be crucial for a good weekend.
Speaking at the FIA press conference, Bottas considered that the sudden change would not make the weekend any easier. “I think it’s more of a question for the team. It was quite a sudden change,” said Bottas.
It’s a sprint weekend so working with a new engineer won’t be easy, but we will obviously try to make the best of the situation. He is receiving a lot of support but yes, it’s quite a sudden change.
It seems that Audi had an influence on the events at Sauber before their takeover in 2026, with Bottas mentioning a rebuilding.
« I think it’s part of rebuilding the team. Some are leaving, others are arriving, and obviously many of these decisions are not in my hands. I think it shows that things are changing.
(I) I do not know all the reasons behind every decision that is made, but it simply shows that change is underway, that some people are leaving, that some people are arriving, that’s all.
Valtteri Bottas has not scored any points in 2024, however he has still outperformed his teammate Zhou Guanyu in the last nine races, only two other drivers on the grid are on a better streak against their respective teammates.
