Sauber had plans to sign Gabriel Bortoleto for the Audi project in 2026 regardless of his participation in the team in 2025, as stated by Mattia Binotto. However, the decision timing was influenced in part by the impressive performance of Formula 1 rookies this year.
Currently leading the Formula 2 championship standings, Bortoleto was recently announced to join Nico Hulkenberg at Stake next season before transitioning to Audi when Sauber becomes the Audi team in the following year under new regulations. This move will see Bortoleto and Hulkenberg replacing Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. Binotto mentioned that the strong showings by young drivers like Oliver Bearman have increased confidence in the ability of newcomers to excel immediately in F1.
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“I know the talent of some young drivers. I have known Ollie [Bearman] well from my previous experiences as he was part of our driver academy at Ferrari. Seeing his success in F1 does not surprise me,” said Binotto, who was the Ferrari F1 team principal from 2019-’22. “All the young drivers are performing impressively, which is fantastic for F1. I believe in their abilities, and their success does not solely determine our decisions.”
“I closely monitored Gabriel’s progress, especially in recent weeks and months. His performance on the track, speed, potential, and ability to develop and improve have left me impressed. He is one of the most talented and promising rookie drivers, making him an obvious choice for Audi.”
“Our decision to select Gabriel would have been the same regardless. The question was whether to include him in ’25 or allow time for development before ’26,” Binotto added. “The success of young drivers in F1 gave me more confidence that Gabriel can excel from the beginning. This was a deciding factor in our choice.”
In addition to Bortoleto, rookies such as Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, and Liam Lawson are set to embark on their first full F1 seasons next year, with Franco Colapinto also rumored to secure a spot in the Red Bull setup.
