Ralf says Bottas should go as Cadillac rumours grow

Pressure is building around Valtteri Bottas at Cadillac, with Ralf Schumacher bluntly saying the Finn should leave Formula 1 as Esteban Ocon continues to be linked with his seat.

"He should stay home and go cycling," Schumacher told Sky Deutschland.

The jibe was aimed partly at Bottas’ passion for cycling, but f1-insider.com also claims his recent ride from Malaysia to Singapore was not agreed with new Cadillac team boss Marcin Budkowski.

That detail feeds wider speculation about the relationship between the pair.

Budkowski is known to rate Ocon highly from their time together at Alpine, while Bottas and Sergio Perez were both signed under former team boss Graeme Lowdon before Budkowski took over.

On track, Bottas has also struggled to build a convincing case.

He is roughly level with Perez in qualifying, but has generally been weaker in races and has finished ahead of the Mexican only once.

The biggest obstacle to any change is contractual.

Bottas insists he has a deal for 2027, while reports suggest removing him would require a substantial payout at a time when Cadillac owner TWG is already facing financial pressures.

"I have a contract and I’ll be here in 2027," Bottas insisted recently.

And in a new interview with the Financial Times, the 37-year-old certainly sounds as though he expects to continue.

"We are definitely seeing an improvement somewhere every weekend," he said.

"It’s not necessarily in the results yet, but it’s in how we operate as a team in different areas."

Bottas also praised Cadillac’s new Silverstone facilities, describing the factory as the most impressive he has encountered in Formula 1.

"I would say so," he replied when asked if it was better than Mercedes’ setup.

When asked if he could imagine stepping out of the cockpit but remaining with Cadillac in another role, he replied immediately: "Never say never, but hopefully that’s far away."

"With all the hard work I’m putting in at Cadillac I eventually want to see the results of it."

"If I compare myself with Fernando or Lewis, I should still have some years left."