Audi told zero-podium F1 driver would have ‘done himself a disservice’ joining Sauber

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Audi has now been told a zero-podium Formula 1 driver they snubbed to sign Gabriel Bortoleto would have ‘done himself a disservice’ by joining Sauber from next season.

One of the final seats on the 2025 Formula 1 grid has finally been filled after Audi confirmed Bortoleto will join Sauber as the teammate of Nico Hulkenberg next year. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are to leave Sauber when their contracts expire at the end of the 2024 season.

Audi has chosen to go for a blend of youth and experience as the German automotive giants bid to turn Sauber around. The four rings of Ingolstadt will turn the Hinwil, Switzerland crew into Audi’s works entry in 2026, but Sauber are the sole point-less Formula 1 team this term.

Mick Schumacher would have ‘done himself a disservice’ by joining Sauber/Audi in 2025

Hulkenberg and Bortoleto have signed multi-year works Audi contracts to finalise the Sauber driver line-up for next season and into the team’s future as a factory squad. Plenty of names came into consideration for the drive including retaining Bottas or signing Mick Schumacher.

Chief operating officer Mattia Binotto revealed talks with Schumacher for him to join Sauber. But the Audi chief ultimately felt Bortoleto was the better fit and secured the Formula 2 title contender’s release from the 20-year-old’s deal with McLaren’s driver academy programme.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know

Schumacher has long been keen to return to Formula 1 since Haas fired the 25-year-old to sign Hulkenberg for the 2023 season. He spent two years in the pinnacle of motorsport with the American outfit but only scored 12 points across 44 entries and set a best finish of sixth.

Now, Christian Danner thinks Schumacher should try to secure one of the final seats on the 2025 IndyCar Series grid. The premier single-make single-seater series in America would be ‘a different world’ for the German after focusing on a future in F1, before pivoting to WEC.

“Mick would have done himself a disservice with Sauber/Audi. He would have been last or second to last for the next two years,” Danner has told sport.de. “He should go to America to the IndyCar Series. Start from scratch and have fun in life and racing.”

Mick Schumacher took one podium in his debut WEC season but zero in Formula 1

Schumacher made his name in single-seaters by challenging for ADAC and Italian F4 titles in 2016, winning the Formula 3 European Championship in 2018 and lifting the Formula 2 title in 2020. Life in F1 at Haas was not as fruitful, and finished with expensive crashes on his CV.

Guenther Steiner axed the German for his compatriot Hulkenberg after Schumacher ruined his Haas VF-22 at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and the Monaco Grand Prix. It left him on the sidelines in 2023 before debuting in the World Endurance Championship this season.

READ MORE: Who is F1 reserve and Alpine WEC star Mick Schumacher? Everything to know

Alpine gifted Schumacher his return to racing in WEC’s Hypercar class in their No36 car with Matthieu Vaxiviere and Nicolas Lapierre. The No36 crew’s best result came in the 6 Hours of Fuji with third place in Japan, contrasting their worst result in 2024 after retiring at Le Mans.

Now, a return to WEC is Schumacher’s most likely next step for 2025 having missed out on a seat at Sauber to Bortoleto. He could always try to find a drive in IndyCar with five of the 27 seats still vacant for Schumacher to take over, and potentially debut at the Indy 500 in 2025.