After several months of speculation, on Wednesday, Audi and Sauber Motorsport AG confirmed that they had signed 20-year-old Gabriel Bortoleto on a multi-year deal which will see the Brazilian driver, who currently leads the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship standings, partnering with Nico Hülkenberg when they transition to the Audi F1 factory team. The decision was made by Mattia Binotto.
Bortoleto’s signing by Binotto is bad news for outgoing Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas who now finds himself without a Formula 1 seat going into the 2025 season.
Performance has been difficult to factor throughout the 2024 F1 season for Sauber due to car performance.
Bottas, who COO and CTO of Sauber Motorsport AG Mattia Binotto describes as a “very fast” driver, was considered a strong candidate to retain his seat.
However, Binotto claims that, despite the good relationship built between himself and the Finn, they ultimately failed to agree on the duration of the contract, with the latter preferring a multi-year deal rather than a short-term one.
“First, I am getting on well, very, very well with Valtteri. It has been since I’ve started here in August, a great relationship, building it, trusting each other, and I think we really set up good communication between us.
“We had several talks about the journey, the length, duration of the journey, the difficulties we may be facing the next season.”
Binotto stated that the team expected a difficult 2025 season due to their transition towards Audi as he explained the signing of Bortoleto.
They believed that employing a younger driver who could develop with the team during the “long, long journey” ahead of them would be of greater benefit. Bortoleto got the nod.
“We know that the next one will be a difficult season as a team, as a journey to towards the Audi F1 transformation.
“It’s a long, long journey and I think that’s mainly on the duration where we reflect together a lot, and it’s when we came, and I came to the conclusion that maybe we need to have a young driver with us.”
He added that he and Bottas had reached a mutual understanding of the situation and what the team required moving forward.
“So it has been really a mutual understanding, if not agreement. Certainly a mutual understanding of the situation, the facts of what’s required.”
Despite having opted against continuing with Bottas, Binotto emphasised that the Finn had been a strong candidate and praised him as a skilled and highly-rated driver.
“More than that, I’d like you to underline is I think he has been certainly a very strong candidate.
“I know he’s very fast. I know that he has proven to be very fast, still to be very fit, he knows the team, and certainly here he is very high rated, and he’s very highly rated in the paddock.”
Binotto added: “So overall, it has not been an easy one, but sometimes you need to come to a conclusion and make a decision and lead.”
Another strong candidate considered for the available seat was Mick Schumacher, who currently races with the Alpine Endurance Team in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Binotto confirmed that the team had been in talks with the German and stated that while he believed Schumacher to be a “good choice” for the team, they had ultimately chosen Bortoleto, though he added that there was no specific reason behind the decision.
“We had several talks, he was certainly a strong candidate.
“I know him very well from the past and I know his strengths and maybe his weaknesses as well, but certainly I think he would have been a good choice. I think there have been many candidates and Mick would have been certainly a good choice as well.
“Now sometimes you need to come to a decision. I think there is no reason why or blames for me, the reason simply goes we decided for Gabriel and that’s it.”
However, Binotto argued that Sauber should not be the only team questioned for their decision to overlook Schumacher in favour of a rookie driver, highlighting that Mercedes, through their signing of Andrea Kimi Antonelli had done the same, despite Schumacher having served as their reserve driver for the past two seasons.
“And I think that maybe we should ask the same of Toto: why Kimi and not Mick?
Binotto added: “I think at some time you need to come to a decision and you make to make a decision. So today, we made the decision to employ and to hire Gabriel and we are happy.”
