Bottas shuts down Red Bull link: ‘People there don’t like me’

Valtteri Bottas has ruled himself out of a drive at Red Bull, insisting there are people within the team who hold ill feelings towards him.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit's line-up for next year is still unknown, despite Sergio Perez being under contract.

Perez has struggled for performance for much of the campaign, leading Red Bull to concede that discussions regarding its line-up will take place after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have been linked as potential options to join Max Verstappen next year.

However, it was put to Bottas that Red Bull could look to a more experienced option - but the Finn insisted he is not in contention for the seat.

“I feel like there are some people at Red Bull who don’t really like me for some reason,” Bottas told media including RacingNews365.

“I don’t think it’s an option, but that’s my feeling.”

Bottas will depart the Stake F1 team at the end of the year as the squad opted to sign Gabriel Bortoleto alongside Nico Hulkenberg ahead of its switch to Audi in 2026.

However, another option could open up for Bottas in just over one year's time, as General Motors is poised to join the grid as an 11th team.

When asked if he would be interested in a drive for the new outfit, Bottas quipped: “Yes, I might!”