P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Deliberate pauses, his body language, his tone and his choice of words in the Miami GP press conference made it clear that Valtteri Bottas was unusually annoyed. The source of his ire? His own team, no less
Valtteri Bottas was visibly annoyed at the start of Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix weekend, primarily due to his race engineer being replaced without his endorsement. He expressed his frustration during the FIA press conference, stating that it was a sudden change and working with a new engineer on a sprint weekend would not be easy. Bottas hinted that the team’s reconstruction might have played a part in decisions being made without his input. The announcement of Nico Hulkenberg as the first driver sign-up for Audi in 2025 left Bottas and his teammate uncertain about their future at Sauber, especially with the team’s rebranding in 2026. The situation and recent developments seem to have left Bottas feeling unimpressed and uncertain about his position within the team and Audi’s plans moving forward. His dissatisfaction was palpable, signaling a potential conflict between him and the team management.
