Formula One fans think they may have discovered evidence that suggests that one driver will be sacked following the end of the season in Abu Dhabi.
The 2024 F1 season is set to come to a close after 23 Grand Prix weekends, as just one race remains on the calendar at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Ahead of the race, Alpine confirmed that Esteban Ocon had been replaced for the Abu Dhabi GP, after announcing earlier in the season that he would not be driving for them in 2025.
And now, fans are convinced they have discovered some evidence about the future of another driver on the grid, after noticing a detail on the Formula One website.
As spotted by a keen-eyed fan on Reddit, the official F1 store currently has Valterri Bottas listed as a Red Bull driver, fuelling theories that the Finnish driver could replace Sergio Perez next season.
The detail can be spotted if you visit the official store, shop by the Red Bull team and then filter by driver, where Bottas will be offered as an option.
Doing so will offer fans the opportunity to buy a model of Bottas’ Sauber helmet.
Reacting to a clip of the listing, one fan wrote: “Bottas is F1’s best second driver and having him back Max would be a significant improvement for Red Bull.”
While another fan suggested it could be an honest mistake, writing: “Just a bug lol. If it was happening it would be out as news before the online store gets that news.”
Valterri Bottas is currently listed as a Red Bull Racing driver on the F1 Store website. (Image: F1 Official Store)
As it stands, Abu Dhabi will be Bottas’ final race in F1 as he is currently without a seat for the 2025 season after current team Sauber announced that they had replaced both of their drivers for next season.
Niko Hulkenberg will leave Haas at the end of the season to join Sauber alongside rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, leaving both Bottas and Zhou Guanyu without a seat next year.
But ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix Bottas, spoke about the potential of joining Red Bull, should the out-of-form Perez lose his seat.
“You know, I could see myself filling that role. I’m really confident I would do a good job but for now the answer has been no,” he told the official Formula One website.
“I think there’s certain people or a certain person within the organisation that is against me for some reason, but that’s their loss.”