Stake announce Bottas, Zhou departures in F1 driver reshuffle

Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are to leave the Stake F1 Team at the end of the 2024 season, the team has announced.

The veteran Finn and third-year Chinese racer were contenders to partner Nico Hulkenberg at the team for 2025, but new Sauber Motorsport boss Mattia Binotto has been exploring other options, including Mick Schumacher and F2 title contender Gabriel Bortoleto.

Bottas and Zhou joined the team together in 2022, with the former coming from Mercedes and the latter as a rookie driver, but results have trailed off badly in their third season together.

The car, now badged as Stake following the first two seasons together as Alfa Romeo, has yet to score a point.

Bottas is facing the first point-less season in his F1 career, with neither driver set to remain on the grid for 2025, with only the seats remaining being those within the Red Bull eco-system. 

Neither is a contender for those seats, with Bottas potentially tipped to return to Mercedes as a third driver, with Zhou's plans currently unclear. 

An announcement on the replacement to partner Hulkenberg is expected in due course.

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Bottas and Zhou react to F1 axe

For the first time in his career, Bottas will be without a seat for the start of a new season since he joined the grid in 2013, and admitted that the situation "is never easy."

"A situation like this is never easy for anyone, but after all the good and in-depth discussions we had in the past weeks, we realised that the conditions to grow this project together were not met," he explained. 

"These past years with the team have been an incredible journey, full of growth, challenges, and unforgettable moments. 

"I’m grateful for the joint experiences as well as the trust and support I’ve felt every step of the way. Though it’s time to move on, I’ll always carry a piece of this team with me, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for us both.”

Zhou added that he was grateful for being given the chance to be the first Chinese race driver in F1 and wanted to go out with a bang. 

"I will leave the team at the end of the season, but I am fully committed to finishing the season in style," he said. 

"I am grateful to the team for giving me a chance in Formula 1: this is not an easy sport for rookies, but the team has allowed me to grow so much over these three years.

"China, earlier this season, was without doubt a highlight, but so many moments, both in public and behind the scenes, are what I am going to remember from the last three years.

"I’ll now focus on the next step in my career. I still have plenty of fight left in me and I am keen to continue progressing."