Bottas 'understands' key reason behind F1 axe - Binotto

Valtteri Bottas came to a "mutual understanding" of the key decision to axe him from the Stake F1 team, according to Mattia Binotto. 

Bottas's full-time F1 career appears over after Stake elected to drop him, and Zhou Guanyu, for 2025 in favour of F2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto. 

Bottas has yet to comment publicly at length about the decision, with a return to Mercedes as a third driver touted as one possible solution for the veteran Finn, who has been on the grid since 2013 and has not missed a grand prix since the 2015 Australian GP. 

With Stake set to morph into Audi for 2026, new chief technical and chief operating officer of the Sauber Motorsport group Binotto detailed how the team's current plight left him wanting to focus on a younger driver - a decision he hinted Bottas did not fully agree with.

"I am getting on very well with Valtteri, and since I started here in August, it has been a great relationship, building it, trusting each other and I think we set up really good communications between us," Binotto told media including RacingNews365. 

"We have had several talks about the journey, the duration of the journey and the difficulties we may be facing in the next seasons, and we know that the next seasons as a team towards the Audi transformation will be difficult.

"It is a long journey, and that's mainly where we reflected a lot and where I came to the conclusion that maybe we need to have a young driver with us.

"It has all been mutual, if not agreement, then certainly a mutual understanding of the situation and what is required. 

"I would like to underline that he has been a very strong candidate, he is very fast, he has proven to be fast, is very highly-rated in the team and in the paddock. 

"It was not an easy decision, but sometimes you need to come to a conclusion and make a decision."