F1 reserve who outpaced Fernando Alonso may finally have a route onto the grid through surprise deal

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Sauber endured a fairly miserable 2024 season and it doesn’t look set to improve much this year with a new car either.

They also have a new driver pairing with Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto now at the helm, a talented duo to say the least.

Parting ways with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu after three seasons was a tricky decision, but one that needed to be made for the team to move forward.

Audi’s 100% takeover is set to happen next season ahead of the start of the new regulations, but Sauber have a lot of work to do to ensure that they don’t start them in last place.

It took them until the penultimate round of the 2024 season to score points, something they won’t want to repeat this year if they want to finish any higher than last in the Constructors’ Championship.

The arrival of Red Bull’s Jonathan Wheatley as team principal in April could provide them with the necessary spark needed to make a jump forward, but his decisions won’t take effect for a while as is usually the case in Formula 1.

Felipe Drugovich may have a route back into F1 with surprise Sauber deal

Hulkenberg thinks he will be playing a Barrichello role at Sauber in 2025, as the team looks for him to guide Bortoleto through his first season.

At the age of 37, the German has been around for a long time and has plenty of experience to draw from, even if he hasn’t managed to get his first podium yet.

As a smaller team, Sauber’s budget is understandably smaller than some of their rivals, which means that certain areas of their operation take a hit.

READ MORE: Valtteri Bottas outlines what Sauber doesn’t have that Audi need to focus on in 2026 after F1 exit

Finding a reserve driver for their 2025 season is no easy process, but Blick reports that Felipe Drugovich is a candidate for the role.

Hulkenberg’s age could mean that Sauber wants to line up a replacement for his services early before it is too late to snatch some talent off the market.

The Brazilian has been looking for a permanent home ever since winning the Formula 2 title in 2022, and the Swiss outfit could be the perfect place for him.

Why the 2025 Formula 1 grid will look so different compared to 2024

The Formula 1 driver market is a constantly evolving sphere and has been about as chaotic as it has ever been since the start of the 2024 season.

Lewis Hamilton’s announcement that he would be joining Ferrari triggered an early silly season, with some shock moves.

The result is just two teams heading into 2025 with the same driver line-up as the year before, including six fresh faces on the grid.

READ MORE: How Nico Hulkenberg’s post-season testing times compared to Valtteri Bottas on his Sauber debut

Sauber have one of those drivers and Alex Brundle says Bortoleto reminds him of Oscar Piastri as he enters his first season.

It’s a suitable tag for a man that was contracted to McLaren’s junior team before opting for a long-term contract in Formula 1, instead of sitting behind Piastri and Lando Norris for multiple seasons.

He won’t have much of a chance to show his prowess in 2025, but the start of the new regulations in 2026 should bring some fresh hope to a team that hasn’t been anywhere near the front for well over a decade.