P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Valtteri Bottas will not be kept on by the Stake F1 team for the 2025 season, being replaced by Gabriel Bortoleto.
Mattia Binotto stated that Valtteri Bottas and the Stake F1 team reached a mutual understanding about the decision to drop him for 2025 in favor of Gabriel Bortoleto. Bottas, whose full-time F1 career may be over, has not publicly commented at length on the situation yet. There is speculation about him potentially returning to Mercedes as a third driver. Stake will transition into Audi for 2026, and Binotto explained that the decision to focus on a younger driver was reached through extensive discussions with Bottas. Despite the difficult decision, it was mutually understood that a shift towards a younger driver was necessary for the team’s future.
