Up Next
Gabriel Bortoleto is closing on a move to Sauber to complete the Audi-owned Formula 1 team’s 2025 driver line-up.
Formula 2 championship leader Bortoleto became a strong contender for the seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg even as incumbent driver Valtteri Bottas sounded increasingly confident of being retained.
Bortoleto is a McLaren junior, though, so any interest in him needed to combine with an agreement to either release him from his McLaren deal, or for Sauber to accept he could be recalled.
The latter is not desirable, so it has been necessary to agree to a clean break - which McLaren is willing to allow.
“It's very normal and natural that Formula 1 teams are interested in having Gabriel as a driver,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella on Friday in Brazil.
“McLaren will not stop the possibility for Gabriel to drive in Formula 1.
“Conversations are ongoing, and we will see what the scenario will be for the future.”
While McLaren is believed to rate Bortoleto highly and is pleased with the progress he's made working with the team on the simulator and in some private testing in an old car, it has no space in its line-up for the Brazilian.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have long-term McLaren deals and the team does not want to deny Bortoleto the chance to get on the grid somewhere else.
With that not a major obstacle, it came down to whether Sauber and Audi wanted youth or experience for 2025. Bottas has been led to believe he was in a strong position but the fact this was so dragged out cast serious doubt over that - even though terms of a deal had been agreed.
It remains unclear exactly why the situation has taken so long to resolve given McLaren has been willing to release Bortoleto for a while, as long as he goes straight into a 2025 race seat.
That indicates the decision-makers at Sauber/Audi were not completely aligned on what to do for next season. There are strong suggestions that signing Bortoleto was quickly agreed as the right move for Sauber - but that there was uncertainty over timing.
The choice is between bringing him in immediately for 2025, as a learning year even if it’s spent at the back, or waiting until 2026 when Audi’s takeover and rebrand is complete and the team is theoretically more competitive under the new rules.
This indecision could explain why Bottas was being told a 2025 deal was on the cards. It may also indicate the new Sauber/Audi F1 management doubted the previous regime’s signing of Nico Hulkenberg, as one theory is that having Bottas and Hulkenberg together is seen as acceptable next year but not longer-term - given they are both in their late 30s and towards the end of their careers.
In theory, deferring Bortoleto’s arrival to 2026 may allow Sauber to evaluate which of Hulkenberg or Bottas should be the team's experienced hand beyond 2025.
But Hulkenberg, whose deal was announced way back in April this year, is believed to have a fixed three-year contract. Even if there is any second-guessing about that choice now following a Sauber leadership change, it would be expensive and impractical to try to undo it. And there is the fact Audi was known to be keen on a German driver.
Now a confusing driver saga looks likely to be resolved with Bortoleto joining Sauber, alongside Hulkenberg, next year.
That will put Bottas on the sidelines, likely into a Mercedes reserve driver role given both driver and team are open to that, and the intention would be for him to try to get back into F1 in 2026 rather than accept his grand prix career is over.
