Possible ‘advantage’ found in contract negotiations as team-mates fight for F1 2025 seat

Both Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas are looking to extend their stay at Sauber, with only one seat available for 2025.

Zhou Guanyu has said he would be willing to accept a one-year contract extension at Sauber next year, whereas F1 team-mate Valtteri Bottas is looking for a multi-year deal.

Bottas recently made it clear he is “only interested in a multi-year contract” to stay in Formula 1 with Sauber, which will become Audi in 2026, with both he and Zhou among the candidates for one of two remaining seats on the grid next year, the other at VCARB.

Zhou Guanyu willing to take one-year F1 contract extension in Sauber talks

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

With Nico Hulkenberg having long been confirmed to be joining the Hinwil-based team next season, this leaves both current drivers looking to secure their future with only one seat remaining at their current team.

Bottas took a multi-year deal to join what was Alfa Romeo after leaving Mercedes in 2021, with that being the first multi-year contract of his career after a succession of single-year deals with his previous team and Williams.

When asked if he would be willing to take a one-year extension, with Bottas preferring the long-term security of a multi-year option, Zhou told media including PlanetF1.com: “I mean, yeah, I’m happy. Obviously, it’s not the first time I’m having a single-year contract, so it wouldn’t change a lot of the story for me.

“But on the other side, we need to see what together can bring because, obviously, when you have a single year, you’re looking more [at] Audi because I think next year, I don’t feel it will change a lot, the story.

What is the current state of the F1 2025 driver market?

F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid?

F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying records between team-mates

“But then when Audi arrive, I think that’s where the bigger change [is] in terms of purely performance. Also, you can fight and hopefully be closer to top three, and that’s where we want to be.”

When pressed and asks if he sees this as an ‘advantage’ relative to his team-mate, given Bottas seems unwilling to budge on his stance of a multi-year agreement, Zhou added he would take the time to speak to the new people at the top of the Audi F1 operation to see what their targets are.

Within that, though, he is aware that the time for negotiation is fast approaching.

“I mean, it’s really dependent on what Mattia [Binotto], also the Audi people behind really want, so we need to speak about it,” he said.

“And I’m open to the discussion about individual or multiple [years]. We need to see and wait and have some discussion because, obviously, nothing has been fully going very deeply into details, but I think now is probably the time that we’re going to be more into that.

“I leave it to them to discuss. Of course, I feel like I have a chance, and definitely being one of the runners fighting for the seat together with my team-mate and some others, maybe – but nothing is confirmed, so I’m open to talk about it.”

Read next: What Fernando Alonso said about Adrian Newey ahead of $200m Aston Martin deal