Surprise rookie driver in talks with Audi F1 – The Formula One driver market for 2025 and beyond is now being finalised. Ever since Lewis Hamilton fired the starting gun pre-season, speculation has been rife about which of the thirteen drivers out of contract this year will be out of the sport.

With Haas F1 recruiting rookie Oliver Bearman for next year, this means at least one of the current crop of F1 pilots will be leaving the grid. Mercedes appear to be favouring replacing their seven times world champion with academy protégé Kimi Antonelli.

Further Alpine are reportedly moving to secure the services of Jack Doohan which would see a third driver from 2024 saying goodbye to F1. The contrast to this season couldn’t be greater given the 20 drivers starting back in Bahrain were for the first time in history exactly the same as those who finished the last race of 2023.

 

 

 

Audi F1 chaos at the top

Audi have just sacked the men tasked with heading up the brand’s F1 project and brought in as a replacement ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto. The Italian has brought in Red Bull ‘lifer’ Jonathan Wheatley as his team principal to take charge of day to day matters at Sauber’s base in Switzerland.

Prior to Binotto’s arrival, the outgoing Andreas Seidl had captured the signature of Nico Hulkenberg on a multi-year contract, but questions remain over who will partner the German who this year has been the master of the one lap.

Sauber/Audi failed in their very public courtship of Carlos Sainz who clearly looked behind the veil of whats going on in Hinwii and Neuberg and decided the Williams vision for success under James Vowles was a better bet.

TJ13 reported earlier in the week, such was the lack of cash at Sauber during last winter, that the team decided against their better judgement to retain the driver Zhou Guangu and the $30m his Chinese backers bring.

Red Bull Racing brain drain continues

 

 

 

Bottas hopes rest on Audi F1

Yet Zhou along with Valterri Bottas has failed to score a single point this season, but the qualifying comparison to his team mate is a disappointing 5-9 as it currently stands. With Audi having completed the purchase of 100% of Sauber shares and money now flowing to the team, Zhou and his finance will surely be out of his seat from 2025 and beyond.

This improves Bottas chances of remaining with the team next year. Further given Sainz was Audi’s preferred choice alongside Nico Hulkenberg it would be reasonable to believe they remain hopeful of fielding a team of experienced drivers.

Bottas has ten F1 victories to his name and has proven to be a team player when racing alongside Lewis Hamilton, but now fomru1a.uno is reporting, the Audi have added the name of another potential for their lineup from 2025.

With stable F1 car design regulations and power units frozen for next season, it could be Audi believe this is an opportunity to blood a talented rookie and let them bed in before the introduction of the new power units one year on.

Sainz: Paddock insider explains Williams move

 

 

 

Surprise rookie on Audi radar

Gabriel Bortoleto is now ‘a possible teammate’ for Hulkenberg after impressing in F2. Bortoleto is currently second in the championship behind Red Bulls junior Issac Hadjar. Now just 36 points behind the French-Algerian protégé of Dr. Marko, Bortoleto has around 150 points up for grab over the eight remaining races to close the gap to Hadjar and claim the F2 title.

Bortoleto won the 2023 F3 championship and is part of the McLaren young driver programme. Yet with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secure on multi-year deals, CEO Zak Brown could be open to offers for their junior driver.

Gabriel comfortably beat Williams academy driver Zak O’Sullivan to the F3 title last year but it was his consistency which impressed given he won just two races in the season. He earned his first F2 feature race victory in June this year, as the series joined F1 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

Fernando Alonso also has fingers in this pie too, given Gabriel Bortoleto has been mentored and managed by the double world champion.

Piastri admits unlike to help Norris in title fight

 

 

 

Four rookies for F1 2025?

Bortoleto could be the fourth rookie driver in F1 next year with Oliver Bearman confirmed at Haas, Mercedes are favouring junior driver Antonelli and Alpine in conversations with Australian Jack Doohan.

Valtteri Bottas believes Kick Sauber (to become Audi) are getting closer to solving the issues that have plagued the team all year long. The Finn in Belgium last time out made it into Q2 during a rain hit qualifying session.

Despite the Finn finishing in P15 over 15 seconds behind the last points finisher Daniel Ricciardo, he believes a realistic push for points is possible over the remaining ten rounds of the year.

Report: Farewell to Renault F1 power, a victim of poor hybrid decisions

 

 

 

Bottas believes Kick Sauber will score

“Yeah, I think we tried,” said Bottas. “The positive thing is it felt like we were in a bit better position again with the race pace against the competition, but still not enough for a top-10.

“We tried something different with the strategy in the end [by completing a late second pit stop], but it didn’t quite pay off. Like I said, a bit better than in the previous events.”

When asked post race about what needs to be done to get Sauber off the mark post the summer shutdown, Bottas was clear: “I think we are getting closer. Today, pace-wise, was one of the best or better races we’ve had in terms of pace.

“We just need to keep bringing upgrades, that’s what we need to do, otherwise keep progressing in every area.”

F1 boss says Audi making a “fundamental mistake”

 

 

 

 

MORE F1 NEWS: Horner tells Max: “Perez is gone”

The well oiled winning machine that was Red Bull Racing in 2023 is now running with three wheels on the proverbial wagon. This season began with paddock uproar over allegations made about team boss Christian Horner’s behaviour, from which he was later cleared.

Max Verstappen added to the turmoil suggesting under certain circumstances he could leave the Milton Keynes team. He pledged his loyalty to Dr. Helmut Mark who he claimed “built the team from nothing” together with the late Red Bull energy drinks empire founder Didi Mateschitz.

The world champions began the season in their inimitable fashion winning five of the first six races, the exception being Carlos victory in Melbourne when a mechanical failure in Verstappen’s RB20 forced him to retire early in the race… READ MORE ON THIS STORY