Nov.6 (GMM) Audi-owned Sauber has informed Valtteri Bottas that he will not be retained for 2025.
That is the claim of a rising number of authoritative media sources, including La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy and Germany’s Sport1 broadcaster.
Those and other sources, like the respected German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, say Nico Hulkenberg will instead be paired by Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, 20, having apparently been fully released from McLaren’s driver academy.
“In terms of McLaren, we will not stop the possibility for Gabriel to drive in Formula 1,” said McLaren team boss Andrea Stella.
As for 34-year-old Bottas, he admitted recently that if he is ousted by Sauber, he may return to Mercedes to serve as reserve driver to George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli.
Interestingly, when asked for his opinion, Hulkenberg said his current Haas teammate, Kevin Magnussen, would “definitely” be a solid pick for Audi-Sauber next year.
“I think we are already a very well-functioning combination with the right focus and mutual respect,” he told Ekstra Bladet newspaper. “Also in terms of engineering and what we want from the car.
“When it clicks for him, he is very strong and very fast,” the German added.
Former Alpha Tauri boss Franz Tost, meanwhile, hit back at the rising rumours about Bortoleto, believing that Mick Schumacher would have been a better choice.
“Bortoleto is a risky decision,” he told Sport1. “He has done a good job in the junior classes so far, but the jump to Formula 1 is huge.
“The cars are relatively easy to drive in dry conditions, but in the rain like what we saw in Sao Paulo, you saw what happened to the other highly praised junior drivers like Oliver Bearman. Franco Colapinto even had two serious accidents, costing Williams millions.
“Politically speaking, it would also be an extremely unfortunate decision,” added Tost, referring to Audi’s apparent decision to spurn an all-German lineup.