According to the latest rumors, the former Ferrari team principal has been captivated by the performances of Gabriel Bortoleto, who is second in F2 and a member of the McLaren young driver program.
The announcement of Carlos Sainz joining Williams on Monday has once again reshuffled the deck regarding the drivers on the starting grid for 2025. Indeed, the Spanish driver leaving Ferrari seemed to be on the verge of an agreement with Flavio Briatore for a seat at Alpine next season, especially with the French team switching to Mercedes engines, while Valtteri Bottas was thus set to return to the historic team based in Grove.
Instead, Sainz will form one of the best line-ups on the grid, partnering with Alexander Albon at Williams. Meanwhile, Alpine has decided to opt for a younger driver, with Jack Doohan having a clear advantage over Mick Schumacher. However, there is still one seat left to fill.
In fact, the Kick Sauber team might choose to completely change its driver lineup for 2025. On one hand, Guanyu Zhou seems to have virtually no hope of remaining in Formula 1, while on the other hand, Valtteri Bottas has suddenly been left “holding the short straw” following Carlos Sainz’s decision to join Williams.
Nevertheless, the Finnish driver could still join Nico Hulkenberg, who has already been confirmed by the Hinwil team for 2025-2026. Despite a disastrous season in terms of performance, Bottas has the advantage of extensive experience and development skills, which are highly sought after by a new team. His reliability, demonstrated by the very few incidents he has been involved in during the first half of the season, also adds to his appeal.
However, Sauber’s poor performance in 2024 could pave the way for a rookie‘s entry next season. In this regard, Mattia Binotto, the new Chief Technical Officer of the Swiss team, appears to have set his sights on Gabriel Bortoleto, a driver currently supported by McLaren’s young driver program.
The Brazilian driver is one of the most interesting talents in the feeder series to Formula 1, having won the Formula 3 title in 2023 and currently holding the second position in the overall standings in the Formula 2 Championship, behind Isack Hadjar. Gabriel Bortoleto’s performances are highly regarded by many in the industry, but his immediate entry into Formula 1 would have been complicated as McLaren already has Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as their drivers, both of whom are very young and, importantly, tied to the Woking team with long-term contracts.
However, Sauber has always shown great attentiveness when it comes to drivers coming from the lower categories, such as when they signed Guanyu Zhou in 2022 directly from the Alpine Academy. Therefore, with Zak Brown’s approval, the Hinwil team could request to loan Gabriel Bortoleto, giving him a well-deserved chance in Formula 1 with a potential future at McLaren.
If these rumors are confirmed, we could have a fifth of the grid made up of rookies in 2025. The only officially confirmed driver is Oliver Bearman, who will race for Haas with the support of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Moreover, the rumors about Andrea Kimi Antonelli driving for Mercedes are becoming increasingly persistent, with the challenging task of replacing seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. We have also discussed Jack Doohan, who appears to be the favorite for the second Alpine seat alongside Pierre Gasly, in addition to Gabriel Bortoleto at Sauber.
PHOTO: Gabriel Bortoleto, Valtteri Bottas.
