Sauber have signed Formula 2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto to complete an all-new driver line-up at the team for the 2025 season, with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu both losing their seats.
Nico Hulkenberg was already confirmed as joining the Audi-controlled team for next year and so the arrival of the highly-rated 20-year-old Brazilian Bortoleto to join the experienced German completes a completely new pairing for the final season before Sauber are rebranded under the name of their new owners from 2026.
Underlining his status as a rising star, Bortoleto was signed to McLaren’s driver development programme after winning the Formula 3 title last year, but will now be released from those obligations to take up his opportunity at Sauber.
Bottas and Zhou had been the Swiss team’s line-up since 2022 but their respective end-of-season departures were confirmed on Wednesday morning shortly before Bortoleto’s expected signing was formally announced.
“Gabriel has already demonstrated in the junior categories that he has what it takes to be a winning driver,” said Sauber chief operating officer Mattia Binotto of the highly-rated youngster, who will join current F2 rivals Oliver Bearman (Haas) and Kimi Andrea Antonelli (Mercedes) in graduating to F1 this winter.
“We are very pleased that he will become a team member of Sauber and Audi. Together with Gabriel, we are on a journey towards success and we will evolve into a unified force to shape a new era for Audi in motorsport.
“Nico and Gabriel represent the ideal combination of experience and youth, positioning us strongly for the future.”
In an earlier post on X, Sauber had said that both Bottas and Zhou were being let go.
“After open and constructive discussions with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, we mutually concluded that conditions to continue together could not be met so we agreed that it is time to part ways,” said the team.
“We would like to thank both for the contribution they have made to the team in the last three years.
“They have been the embodiment of professionalism, using their experience and enthusiasm to support our growth.”
Sitting a disappointing last in the Constructors’ Championship with just three rounds of the season to go, Sauber are the only team yet to score a point in the 2024 campaign.
But the Audi project represents a chance for them to propel themselves up the grid from 2026 in particular.
“This is one of the most exciting projects in motorsport, if not in all of sports,” said Bortoleto.
“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 together we will write our own success story.”
Bottas loses place on grid for 2025 – could he now return to Mercedes?
While Chinese driver Zhou’s departure had been expected ever since the Swiss team announced in April they had signed Hulkenberg, the experienced Bottas – who joined from Mercedes in 2022 – had been fighting to stay and continue his career on the F1 grid into a 13th consecutive season.
But in separate Sauber statements announcing their current drivers’ departures after the final three rounds of this season, Bottas said: “A situation like this is never easy for anyone. But after all the good and in-depth discussions we had in the past weeks, we realised that the conditions to grow this project together were not met.”
Bottas recently confirmed he had been speaking to Mercedes – where he won 10 races as team-mate to Lewis Hamilton from 2017-2021 – about taking a reserve role at his former team for 2025 should a Sauber contract renewal not materialise.
The Finn is thought to have also held talks with Alpine and former employers Williams earlier in the year about their respective then-vacant seats, but the teams moved for alternative options.
While there is officially one other seat left open on the 2025 grid at RB, the Red Bull-owned outfit are considering several other options as they weigh up whether to also make changes at their main team amid growing doubts about struggling Sergio Perez’s future.
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