Audi snubs Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto with Sauber set to announce driver on multi-year contract

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Audi is set to snub a chance to sign Gabriel Bortoleto or Franco Colapinto to race for Sauber in 2025, with a different driver set to sign a multi-year contract for the team.

An announcement is now imminent on one of the final seats available on the Formula 1 grid for next season. Audi holds the keys to the drive ahead of turning Sauber into a works entry in 2026, having taken time to assess the market after failing to convince Carlos Sainz to join.

Sauber are expected to confirm their full driver line-up for 2025 before next month’s United States Grand Prix. F1 will split up for a three-week break following the Singapore Grand Prix, and Audi plans to use the gap to declare who will join inbound Haas racer Nico Hulkenberg.

Audi is set to give Valtteri Bottas a new multi-year contract with Sauber

Audi will officially take Sauber over in 2026 after the German automotive giant increased its ownership of the team to 100% in March. But Audi is already putting its stamp on the squad with Mattia Binotto hired as the COO and Jonathan Wheatley hired to be the team principal.

Hulkenberg also signed a multi-year contract with Audi this April, which will see the German swap Haas for Sauber next year. Now, Speedcafe reports Audi has also given Valtteri Bottas a multi-year contract, which keeps the Finn at Sauber with his current deal expiring this year.

READ MORE: F1 2025 driver line-up with every team’s confirmed entry for the grid

The arrival of Binotto in Hinwil this July greatly helped Bottas earn a new contract as he was not in Audi’s plans previously, with Sauber yet to score a point this year. But the experience he brings ahead of the team’s transition has seen Audi table a deal for more than one year.

Audi has overlooked a raft of alternative names to keep Bottas at Sauber, including Williams’ super-sub Colapinto and McLaren junior Bortoleto. Timing has worked against Colapinto as his efforts in the Italian Grand Prix and Azerbaijan Grand Prix came too late to usurp Bottas.

Williams and McLaren are open to loaning Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto

James Vowles has confirmed that Williams have spoken to Audi to discuss Colapinto joining Sauber in 2025. Andrea Stella has also confirmed that McLaren are open to Bortoleto going to Audi/Sauber next year to find the Formula 2 title contender a seat on the Formula 1 grid.

But Audi is set to disappoint Vowles and Stella by snubbing Colapinto and Bortoleto for the remaining Sauber seat in favour of retaining Bottas. The 35-year-old has been in Hinwil for the past three seasons, scoring 49 points in 2022 plus 10 in 2023 but none so far this term.

Bottas’ best results this season have been his P13 finishes in the Monaco Grand Prix and the Canadian Grand Prix across rounds eight and nine. He has since finished in P15 twice and in P16 five times, plus P19 in the Dutch Grand Prix, with Sauber rooted to the back of the field.