Sauber confronted a fork within the highway.
Down one path? A veteran presence, expertise driving on the highest ranges of single-seater motorsport, with a driver with a formidable resume full with Method 1 Grand Prix wins, and contributions to a championship workforce.
On the opposite? Promise, potential, and a view towards the long run.
In the end, Sauber selected that latter path.
Earlier at this time Sauber introduced that Gabriel Borotleto will slide into the workforce’s second seat alongside Nico Hülkenberg for the 2025 season, on a “multi-year” deal that may see Hulkenberg and Bortoleto their driver pairing in 2026 when Sauber turns into the Audi works operation. That yr is not going to solely usher in a brand new period of F1 with Audi becoming a member of the grid, but additionally a brand new set of technical laws that may overhaul the game itself.
Why did Sauber select that latter path? It’d give the workforce the most effective of each worlds. With Hülkenberg Sauber has an skilled driver who can provide the technical suggestions that will likely be vital to the workforce’s improvement over 2025, and into the primary yr of the brand new laws that arrive, together with Audi, in 2026.
Signing Bottas for that second seat would have given Sauber a pair of veterans, and with Bottas’ pedigree given his time with Mercedes, the expertise of driving on the highest aggressive ranges of the game.
However what Bottas may not provide at this level in his profession Bortoleto does: A stunningly vibrant future.
Whereas he’s simply 20 years previous — having turned 20 final month —Bortoleto is already a champion in his personal proper. He captured the F3 Drivers’ Championship a season in the past, ending 45 factors forward of second-place finisher Zak O’Sullivan, and 54 factors forward of Franco Colapinto, who emerged as one other potential choice for Sauber given his sturdy efficiency to this point for Williams since changing Logan Sargeant mid-season.
He additionally leads the F2 Championship by a slim margin over Isack Hadjar with simply two race weekends remaining. Ought to Bortoleto win the F2 Drivers’ title this season, a yr after successful the F3 Championship, he would be a part of George Russell and Charles Leclerc as the one drivers to win these two titles in succession on their first makes an attempt.
That’s moderately lofty firm.
Bortoleto additionally had a bonus over Colapinto, which is a little bit of freedom. As a member of the McLaren Driver Growth Program, Bortoleto has a little bit of a roadblock in place with the Woking-based operation. With each Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris signed to long-term contracts, a seat at McLaren is probably going not coming Bortoleto’s manner anytime quickly.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown informed the media, together with SB Nation, that McLaren could be open to serving to Bortoleto discover a seat on the grid forward of the US Grand Prix.
“Yeah, he’s an excellent racing driver. Proper now, our precedence is to assist them win the Method 2 championship. In order that’s what we’re very a lot centered on. We don’t have an open seat. We’re very pleased, clearly, with our two Grand Prix drivers, and we’d by no means need to maintain a racing driver again in Grand Prix, in his profession,” stated Brown final month in Austin. “So we’ll form of see how issues play out, however centered on successful the championship and centered on not holding him again if we will’t present him with a possibility in Method 1, which seems unlikely presently.”
Colapinto is a member of the Williams household, and whereas they’ve signed each Carlos Sainz Jr. and Alexander Albon to offers, Williams reportedly was solely prepared to let Colapinto driver for an additional workforce on a mortgage deal, with the choice to recall him again to Williams if wanted. Williams has a long-term cope with Colapinto, and his efficiency to date since changing Logan Sargeant is an indication he would possibly have the ability to deal with life on the F1 grid sooner moderately than later.
That opened the door for Bortoleto to achieve a cope with Sauber.
Hülkenberg offers Sauber the skilled driver who can each mentor Bortoleto and provides the technical workforce the complete suggestions image as they develop their 2025 challenger, whereas serving to the workforce plan their 2026 challenger when Audi arrives on the grid, and the brand new technical laws reshape the game.
Bortoleto offers Sauber an rising expertise who can form their racing workforce for years to come back.
Giving the workforce the most effective of each worlds.
