Steiner: Bottas Gave Up, Cadillac Can Replace Him

Gunther Steiner is back with sharp criticism. This time, the Italian-born manager believes Valtteri Bottas does not deserve a contract extension from Cadillac. In his view, the Finnish driver has lost motivation amid the American team's debut season in Formula 1.

Bottas returned to F1 this year alongside Sergio Perez. Cadillac deliberately chose an experienced duo to gather reliable data in their first season. However, Steiner thinks that decision only makes sense for the short term. He sees Perez still pushing hard, while Bottas seems to have given up.

“Checo keeps giving his best with what he has, and partly Valtteri does too. Perez is simply better than him right now—he's trying to do something, while Bottas apparently has stopped trying,” Steiner said on The Red Flags Podcast. “If Cadillac were to change one driver, they would change Valtteri.”

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The results this season have not favored Bottas. He only found pace in the last three races, while Perez has finished ahead of him three times in the four Grands Prix both completed. Moreover, Perez nearly scored Cadillac's historic first point in Monte-Carlo—a moment that eluded Bottas.

Steiner also highlighted Bottas' possible regret. “I think Valtteri expected something different. Maybe he's thinking the reserve role at Mercedes was a good role, and that it's not worth all this effort to finish last,” he added. This statement adds fuel to speculation about Bottas' future in the paddock.

Cadillac is reportedly eyeing younger talents like Rafael Camara and Leonardo Fornaroli. If true, Bottas' seat is clearly under threat. Still, Bottas has the rest of the season to prove he deserves to stay. The question is: does he still have the fighting spirit? Or as Steiner said, has he given up?