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Former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has claimed that he is 'pumped' to start the 2024 season with the newly rebranded Stake F1 team.
The Hinwil-based outfit, which was formerly known as Alfa Romeo, recently launched their new livery for the Stake F1 team. The Swiss team, which would be taken over by Audi in 2026, has largely been a disappointment in the new regulations as they finished P6 and P9 in the Constructor's Championship in 2022 and 2023, respectively, after a promising start in early 2022.
Taking to his social media, Valtteri Bottas posted a picture of himself preparing for the upcoming season. He wrote in the caption:
"Preparation is the key. Honestly pumped up for 2024, to be the best version of myself I can. Let’s go!"
Talking about the 2024 challenger C44 during the livery launch, the Finn spoke about his expectations from the car, saying (via Pitpass):
"The new C44 definitely feels different both in terms of looks and of what we can expect from the car. We need to perform as a team and extract the most out of this package, which has some impressive potential - nothing else matters. Personally speaking, going into the third season together with a team, the objectives need to be lofty.
"My own expectations are high, we definitely need to make a good step and see good progress from last year, a season in which, in all honesty, we didn't meet the targets that we set for ourselves. We need to fix that now, we need to step up our game and do better, but I have seen some real enthusiasm back in Hinwil and I am confident we can do it."
Valtteri Bottas talks about Audi's commitment to the project in 2024
Valtteri Bottas also assured that the German manufacturers, Audi, were much interested in the project and would soon start taking over from Sauber.
Speaking with RacingNews365, the Finn dispelled rumors that Audi could back out. He said:
“I think it's just rumors from what I understand and what I've heard. They're still fully committed to the future. I think the cooperation will start sometime soon, I would imagine if Audi already wants to be competitive in their first year. Sauber and Audi will need to work together but that's all going on behind the scenes."
Valtteri Bottas would hope that he will be in contention to drive for Audi when the German giants enter the sport in 2026.
