The only real steering wheel remaining for the 2025 season is that of Audi-Sauber, and in the Brazilian Grand Prix paddock it appears that current holder Valtteri Bottas no longer seems so convinced of being retained.
“There is always a lot of politics in the background in this sport”the Finn told Interlagos. “We are talking about a big company, a big business. There are many reasons to make decisions”added the man who has already embodied the Mercedes-Benz program for many years alongside Lewis Hamilton, and with whom he forged the greatest elements of his record in Formula 1.
The Swiss team, newly owned by Audi, has reached an agreement with McLaren to completely release its junior driver Gabriel Bortoleto. The contract is said to have already been signed and the announcement is imminent, Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt confidently said about the 20-year-old driver.
The only missing detail is whether Bottas could be retained for an additional season, which would allow Bortoleto to slot into the team ahead of the full debut of the factory Audi F1 from 2026.
“As far as McLaren is concerned, we are not stopping the possibility of Gabriel driving in Formula 1”McLaren boss Andrea Stella told Interlagos, suggesting it could happen with another team.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull's three-time world champion, thinks in any case that Gabriel Bortoleto should race directly in 2025.
“I mean, if I was Sauber I would have signed him already”he declared in Brazil. “And in 2026, there is a big change in regulations. It's always good to get used to a team for a year, to make mistakes here and there, to integrate well, to understand the car a little. We feel much better prepared and more comfortable, then we start in 2026,” estimates the man who experienced a stratospheric rise when he arrived in F1 with Toro Rosso then Red Bull.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren driver, also gave his opinion on the matter. “From my point of view, when you get these kinds of results, you deserve to be in F1. I have experienced firsthand the pain of not getting a seat, so for his sake I hope he doesn't have to experience that. »
