Audi have sounded out ‘Herculean’ driver from rival F1 team for 2025 Sauber seat

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Audi’s new head of their Formula 1 project Mattia Binotto has had nearly four weeks during the summer break to think about the future of his new team.

Sauber are in a world of trouble right now and will be desperately hoping that the Dutch Grand Prix provides a chance for them to score their first World Championship point of the season.

Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are also in a precarious position in the driver’s market.

Neither driver has been offered a contract by any team heading into 2025 and there are only four currently available seats left.

A report from UOL Esporte has shared which drivers are currently in the running to partner Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber in 2025.

While the team are having a tough time this year – and 2025 could be another season of pain – the opportunity to drive for a works Formula 1 team will be hard to turn down.

Amazingly, there may now be a rookie on the grid who could have a choice between two different seats for next year.

Audi are reportedly sounding out Alpine junior Jack Doohan to fill their second seat.

The Australian – described as ‘Herculean’ by the Alpine team for his work on the simulator this season – has been in the paddock all season as the French outfit’s reserve driver.

Doohan’s chances of driving for Alpine next year look good, but this may throw a very late spanner in the works for Flavio Briatore and new team principal Oliver Oakes.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan? Everything you need to know

Audi have ‘sounded out’ move for Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan

The report from UOL journalist Julianne Cerasoli outlines the drivers currently being considered by Audi ahead of Sauber’s final year on the grid in their current form.

Brazilian youngster Gabriel Bortoleto has emerged as a potential candidate with his route to Formula 1 currently blocked at McLaren by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The report suggests that neither Bottas nor Zhou are currently in Sauber’s plans to keep on beyond this year.

Liam Lawson has also been linked with Audi and it will be interesting to see what happens with his future.

Helmut Marko has promised an update on Lawson’s future in September with Red Bull and RB’s line-ups for 2025 still very much up in the air.

The report goes on to suggest that Audi have ‘sounded out’ a move for Doohan for 2025.

They mention that he’s one of the drivers in line to potentially replace Ocon, but until an announcement is made – which sometimes isn’t even enough for Alpine – anything could happen.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber from team principal to Audi future

Jack Doohan benefitting from a season outside of racing

The jump from Formula 2 to Formula 1 is an extremely difficult one to make and many drivers never get that opportunity.

Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire are the most recent F2 champions but have had to settle for stints racing elsewhere while they wait for their opportunity to move up.

Pourchaire has just been overlooked by his own team, with Sauber handing an FP1 outing to Robert Shwartzman instead of the Frenchman for the Dutch Grand Prix.

However, the likes of Zhou and Logan Sargeant have moved up without winning the series and Oliver Bearman will follow suit next year.

Doohan’s work at Alpine has been fantastic but that’s very different to performing at the highest level in Formula 1.

His two practice sessions this year have both been heavily disrupted by the weather and wherever he ends up on the grid next season, he’ll have a lot to prove.