There are only 2 official empty seats for the 2025 F1 season. One of them is Sauber’s. This is one seat where we have never had a straight answer as to who will pilot the car. We have had a number of drivers in contention for this one seat. But now, it seems as though Gabriel Bortoleto is on the verge of securing this seat for next year.
Bortoleto has been a strong candidate for the Sauber seat throughout the season. Last year, he won the Formula 3 Championship, and this year, he could go on to win the Formula 2 Championship as well. He is currently leading the Championship from Isack Hadjar by 4.5 points with 2 more race weekends to go.
Ahead of the Brazil GP, news arrived giving us an update on Bortoleto’s F1 future.
Gabriel Bortoleto to Sauber announcement imminent?
After the Sprint Qualifying session in Brazil, AMuS reported that Bortoleto’s contract is all set and ready to be announced. The timing of this news surfacing made sense as F1 is racing in Bortoleto’s home this weekend.
During the press conference ahead of the Brazil GP, Max Verstappen stated that if he were Sauber, he would have already signed Bortoleto by now. But why is the Brazilian so highly rated among F1 drivers?
Max Verstappen thinks Sauber should have already signed Gabriel Bortoleto for their 2025 lineup.
Read the quotes in the article below. 👇#F1 #BrazilGPhttps://t.co/bbJjon8nYj
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 31, 2024
As mentioned above, he won the F3 Championship last year and could win the F2 Championship this year. This has not been accomplished by a lot of drivers. The ones who have done this, have proven to be successful in Formula 1. Oscar Piastri is the last driver to have accomplished this feat, and he got his first F1 podium during his rookie season and his first F1 win in his sophomore season.
Sauber does not want to miss out on the opportunity of signing such a driver to their team. But the decision is being made by Audi, who is purchasing the team from Sauber Racing. From the 2026 season, the team will be called Audi Motorsport.
Who stands to lose if Sauber confirms Bortoleto for the 2025 season?
Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen, Mick Schumacher, Franco Colapinto, and Theo Pourchaire were all in contention for that Sauber seat. So naturally, all these drivers stand to lose if Bortoleto is confirmed for the 2025 season.
All of these drivers are talented. Two of them even have a lot of experience in Formula 1. However, Bortoleto is too exciting a talent to be looked over. If Sauber misses out on signing the Brazilian, he will most likely be picked up by a competitor and will prove himself to be a Championship contented in the following years. This is the last thing Audi would want.
The new man on top? 👀
👉 @gabortoleto85#F2 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/psVhYc9Ewx
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) September 15, 2024
Gabriel is currently a McLaren Academy driver. However, McLaren is not standing in the way of Bortoleto joining Sauber in 2025. The Woking-based team already has two young and talented drivers in their lineup and will not be looking to have any changes at the moment. Hence, they don’t want to stand in the way of Bortoleto achieving his dream to drive in Formula 1.
Do you think Sauber will be making the right decision by picking Bortoleto for the 2025 season? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
