Sauber brings on two new racers for the 2025 F1 season
The 2025 season is set to be an interesting one, with drivers moving all over the grid and familiar brands with new team members being put to the test. Adding to the season’s already confusing changes, Sauber has announced that Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will not be racing in F1 under the Sauber nameplate in the coming season. Well, we knew that one driver had to go as Nico Hulkenberg signed a contract with Sauber for the 2025 calendar in April, but we weren’t expecting to see a full driver lineup change for the brand.
So, the second driver will be a fresh face on the F1 grid with an already promising track record. Gabriel Bortoleto is the current leader in the F2 championship and has recently been announced to replace the last remaining seat in the Sauber car. Last year, the Brazilian 20-year-old won the F3 championship, and it’s clear that his success story has likely only just begun. Bortoleto was previously a member of McLaren’s junior driver programme, but with both current McLaren drivers showing impressive capability, particularly in the later stages of this year’s season, it would be unwise to sub them out now.
As you can imagine, Sauber has expressed a strong sense of optimism, with the man in charge, interim Sauber Team Principal Mattia Binotto, claiming that “Gabriel has already demonstrated in the junior categories that he has what it takes to be a winning driver. They have also expressed that the new pairing is expected to create a strong team dynamic, combining Hulkenberg’s experience with Bortoleto’s fresh perspective and style.
This also plays to Sauber’s future, as the team will transition to the Audi Works team for the 2026 season. Bortoleto will need to perform well in order to keep his seat, which will undoubtedly be hotly contested come 2025.
Unfortunately, this brings an end to Guanyu’s three-year stint in Formula 1, but on a more heartbreaking note, this marks the end to Bottas’s 13-year run in the sport. Both drivers have been recognised for their contributions to the sport, and with a track record of having great personalities, as well as Bottas’ cool, calm, and collected approach to racing, I’m sure there is a Bottas fan base that is heartbroken by the news. Bottas has had an F1 career that deserves celebration. Over his 13 years in Formula 1, he has racked up 10 GP wins and 67 podium finishes.
On the other hand, this means that there are effectively five rookies heading into the new season, with new faces in the form of Bortoleto, Kimi Antonelli, and Jack Doohan, as well as Oliver Bearman and Liam Lawson adding a few race notches to their new F1 belts. Unfortunately, Franco Colapinto has yet to find a seat for next year’s season.
It’s a sad moment for the Chinese and Finnish fans out there, but this further adds to the excitement of an unpredictable 2025 season that lies ahead. Will the sport’s shift to a younger driver lineup in 2025 give rookies a chance to establish themselves or pose a threat to seasoned drivers? Time will tell, but for now, I can’t wait for the next season to begin.
