Gabriel Bortoleto, why he is now the favourite for the Sauber/Audi seat

The wave of freshness and youth that is about to sweep over the Formula 1 Could it be even bigger next March? After Oliver Bearman (Haas), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Classic Mercedes for sale), Jack Doohan (Alpine), and probably Liam Lawson or Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls, will we also see a final surprise guest join the club of 20? The latest echoes gathered in the paddock in any case indicate an increasingly keen interest from Sauber for Gabriel Bortoleto, rookie and current second in Formula 2 behind Isack Hadjar. The Brazilian is back to 10,5 points behind the Frenchman after his victory in the main race at Monza ten days ago.

The interest was even publicly confirmed by Mattia Binotto, the new strongman of Sauber (which will become Audi in 2026), on the sidelines of the Italian Grand Prix, while the identity of the future teammate of Nico Hulkenberg is not yet known for 2025. "Gabriel (Bortoleto) is doing very well in F2, he has shown that he has great talent. We are certainly looking at what he does as we do with many others, but he is not the only name we are looking at. There are many drivers on the list, with great potential, experience… Again, it is a question of judging what is most important for us in the short, medium and long term.

Past Bottas in the hierarchy of candidates?

It seems that the Brazilian has become the favourite for the Sauber seat. After having suffered several refusals from experienced drivers (Sainz, gasly, Or with…) in recent months, the stable based in Hinwil has decided not to rush and to give themselves time to think. For the time being, it is not yet known whether Hülkenberg's future teammate will be experienced or young, but the card of a young shoot on which to bet is starting to make its way into the minds of decision-makers. In recent weeks, Valtteri Bottas was the big favourite to succeed him. The Finn was a safe bet: he knows the team, dominates his teammate Guanyu-Zhou since the start of their association in 2022, has the advantage of being a multiple Grand Prix winner, and appears to be a good compromise at a time when Sauber will continue its transition for a final year before becoming Audi in 2026.

However, the rejuvenation of the grid, and especially the daring start of an 18-year-old kid by Mercedes in one of its Silver Arrows, seems to have made the competition a little less hesitant about trusting youth. The contrast is striking with the previous winter when 100% of the 2023 grid was carried over to 2024. The presence of Nico Hülkenberg, 37 years old and with 219 Grands Prix under his belt, already ensures a certain amount of experience. Bortoleto's successful weekend at Monza ten days ago has clearly pushed the bigwigs of the Sauber-Audi ticket to intensify their thinking about the Brazilian.

Gabriel Bortoleto, winner at Monza. © DPPI

Starting 22nd in both races following a mistake in qualifying, Bortoleto managed to grab half a point at the checkered flag, for finishing perfectly level with Dennis Hauger. The two men therefore shared the last point allocated to 8th place. Above all, he achieved the feat of winning the following day in the main race. Thanks to good management of his tires in the first stint which allowed him to delay his pit stop compared to the leaders, the exit of a safety car at the right time allowed him to regain the lead of the race, never to relinquish it and leave Italy, where he lives most of the year, with the 25 points of victory and a certain momentum behind him.

What about McLaren?

However, there is an obstacle on the road to Switzerland next year: McLaren. The Auriverde has in fact been a member of the papaya academy since obtaining his title of champion of Formula 3 last year. It seems that Zak Brown and Andrea Stella are nevertheless inclined not to deprive him of an opportunity to drive in F1 if the situation arises, in particular because of the minimum commitments until 2026 of Lando Norris andOscar piastri. Why not imagine establishing a priority recall clause if necessary on the part of McLaren. Woking would have everything to gain from it.

P22 ➡️ P1

The Monza magic really pulled through 🤩💛#ItalianGP #InvincibleinSpirit #F2 pic.twitter.com/qFycr4SRrw

— Invicta Racing (@InvictaRacing) September 2, 2024

If its membership of McLaren is a brake, it is clearly not an insurmountable obstacle. Sauber-Audi will first have to make its final decision, in a context where Theo Pourchaire, F2 champion in 2022, is also a natural candidate according to Mattia Binotto, the Tricolore being a reserve and affiliated with Sauber since his F3 season in 2020. Unfortunately, the Grasse native seems to be starting from further back, and the fashion effect is pushing more towards Gabriel Bortoleto. Also, Brazil, the historic nation of F1, is desperately looking for a successor to Felipe Massa, the last Auriverde driver to be a regular in the Grand Prix, and especially the last winner in the premier class, sixteen years ago now (2008).

An entire country is now pushing behind Bortoleto, with sponsors behind him who are just waiting for that, at a time when the Argentinian neighbor has managed to organize itself around Franco Colapinto for the rest of the season. The seriousness of his junior career speaks for itself, with a 5th place in Italian F4 (2020), a 5th in FRECA (2022), an F3 champion title, before another potential in F2. In the meantime, if he hopes to arrive in Baku next year in the shoes of an F1 driver, the Paulista will show up at the wheel of his F2 in Azerbaijan next weekend, with the firm intention of taking control of F2. All things in its own time.

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