P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Valtteri Bottas has revealed Red Bull turned down his advances when he made a previous approach to the team to sound out whether a move in F1 was viable.
Red Bull seems to have decided to replace Sergio Perez for 2025 due to his struggles, with Valtteri Bottas not considered a leading contender for the seat. Instead, Red Bull is likely to choose between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda from their sister team RB. Bottas expressed feeling that some individuals within Red Bull are not supportive of him, leading him to believe he’s not a preferred option for the team. Despite contacting Red Bull about a potential seat, Bottas received a clear no, attributing it to possible past issues. With Lawson in the mix, it remains uncertain if he can solve Red Bull’s ongoing second driver problem since Ricciardo’s departure in 2018. Bottas believes he could have been a strong partner for Max Verstappen based on his experience at a title-winning team, but the opportunity has eluded him due to reservations within Red Bull.
