Mattia Binotti’s arrival at Audi could🐷 influence the F1 driver market, Valtteri Bottas admits.

Only four seats remain until the 2025 F1 driveඣr line-up is complete.

Sauber/Audi, RB, Alpine and Mercedes must make their decisions before an unlucky handful o🐠f drivers will♓ have their dreams dashed.

Sauber’💙s Bottas is among the drivers with a൩n uncertain future.

But huge changes𝓀 to the manage𝔉ment structure of Audi (who will run in F1 as Sauber next year) could have an impact.

Ex-Ferrari team principal Binotto will join Audi as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Of💎ficer, while Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffman will exit.

Jonathan Wheat꧂ley will leav꧑e Red Bull to become Audi team principal.

“It is going to reset the talks a bi𒈔t,” Bottas conceded about his negotiations to stay.

“Because we have previously been in communication with Andreas and Oliver, and now it’s M♈attia.

“For sure that w𝔍ill change༒ some things. So we need to speak.

“It’s a bit of a complicated siᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚtuation, but let’s see.”

Sauber, who will evolve into Audi in 2026 when the new regulations kick in, have signed Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg for next season but 𒀰are undecided on t🦹heir other driver.

Bottas and current teammateಞ Guanyu Zhou both hope to stay but there is only roomꦫ for one.

The Audi project has been criticised, with Carlos Sainz’s decision🍷 to snub them in favour of Williams identified a🐻s significant.

“It was a vote of no confidence for Sauber/Audi,” Craig Slater reported on the Sky F1 podcast. “Chief💦ly when you thin𒈔k about the family connection with Sainz and Carlos Sainz Senior winning Dakar with Audi and the Volkswagen Group.

“For 🌠him to walk away from that when it seemed t🍷he most obvious place for him to go is a clear sign that things are not right there.”

Bottas said about the new boss of the F1 team: “M🐼attia needs to know what are the weaknesses, what are the strengths.

“What are the priorities for short and long-term improvements? And t🦩hat’s going to take a bit of time.

“Obviously some things are internal, but we know that compar♓ed to the big teams, we’re still lacking a bit of human power.

“There are certain areas that we definitely need to focus on, at the factory but also with the car performance🔥.

“We're at the moment not where we need to be. We neeꦕded some new upgrades and [to go] in the right direction.

“It’s been pretty clear tha𝔍t all the decisions in the last year or two have been made to be competitive from ‘26.

“I know it’s not ideal 🐠in some cases. For me, unfortunately, many times fighting towards the back end.

But my job is still to do the ver🤪y best I can. And at the same time push the team and contribute the best I can. Tha🐼t’s all I can do at the moment.

“Hopefully from now💮 on, things will be a bit more stable and there’s a♛ clear direction.”

Neither of S🐠auber’s drivers have scored a point this season.

Zhou scored their best result with P11 at the sea🦹son-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.