Swiss team Kick Sauber has confirmed Gabriel Bortoleto will race for the team next season, completing their driver line-up and leaving just one more spot to be confirmed on next season’s grid. Bortoleto will race alongside Nico Hulkenberg, with the German’s move from rivals Haas being announced earlier this year.
Embed from Getty ImagesPointless Season
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will leave the team following a disastrous season in which the team, which will be renamed Audi in 2026, has failed to score a single point with only three races remaining.
Bottas, a 10-time race winner during five years spent at Mercedes between 2017 and 2021, appears set to see his career in the sport end when he departs Sauber next month, although the 35-year-old has been linked with a role as Mercedes test driver.
The Finnish driver enjoyed a positive first season with the team in which he netted an impressive 49 points, but just 10 points followed in 2022, and he has failed to finish above 13th this term.
Embed from Getty ImagesBy contrast, Guanyu has scored just 12 points during his three years in the sport, and despite being only 25 years old, his future in the sport seems non-existent.
Guanyu made history by becoming the sport’s first Chinese driver when he debuted in 2022 and enjoyed an emotional homecoming when he raced in Shanghai earlier this campaign.
Brazil Returns
20-year-old Bortoleto is an obvious choice for Sauber’s second seat next season; the Brazilian is the reigning F3 champion and leads this season’s F2 standings by four-and-a-half points with two races left.
Bortoleto’s arrival signals a return to F1 for Brazil; the only Brazilian to compete in a Grand Prix since former Williams and Ferrari driver Felipe Massa left the sport in 2017 was Pietro Fittipaldi, who raced twice for Haas at the end of 2020.
Brazil’s return is a welcome one. The South American nation has a rich history in the sport, with 32 drivers hailing from the country, including three world champions—three-time winners Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet and two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
Embed from Getty ImagesFollowing Sauber’s announcement, McLaren issued a statement confirming they will release Bortoleto from his contract with the team. He has been part of their driver development programme since last year.
Bortoleto will be the fourth full-time rookie on the grid in 2025, joining Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, Alpine’s Jack Doohan and Haas’ Ollie Bearman.
Bortoleto said: “This is one of the most exciting projects in motorsport if not all sports. Joining a team that combines the rich motorsport history of Sauber and Audi is a true honour. Beyond simply being a member, I aim to grow with this ambitious project and reach the pinnacle of motorsport.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity given to me by the team and for the chance to work alongside an experienced driver like Nico. Both programs have a proven track record of nurturing young talent, and I am confident that we will write our own success story together.”
One Last Puzzle Piece
Sauber’s announcement leaves just one seat to be filled on the grid next year, although that spot could involve two teams.
Liam Lawson recently replaced Daniel Ricciardo at RB, Red Bull’s sister team, and seems certain to be racing in F1 next year, but for which team remains uncertain.
Embed from Getty ImagesSpeculation continues to mount concerning Sergio Perez’s future. The Red Bull driver has endured an extremely difficult season in which he has managed to score just 151 points, leaving him languishing 8th in the driver’s standings. Teammate Max Verstappen is leading the way and is set for a fourth title in a row.
Perez’s struggles have cost Red Bull any chance of winning the constructor’s title, and Lawson is a candidate to replace the Mexican for 2025.
Other candidates include his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto. This Argentine rookie has strongly impressed since stepping into the Williams car mid-season but remains without a drive for next year.
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