Former F2 champion could ‘break free’ from his contract if Audi offer him 2025 F1 seat

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Audi are going through a period of transition that is likely to define their first season in Formula 1, but they’ve got important decisions to make before their debut.

Senior Audi personnel decided that continuing with Andreas Seidl as their head of F1 operations was the wrong direction to take and replaced the former McLaren team principal.

Mattia Binotto was hired in his place and the Italian has already made moves to start improving the staff around him.

Jonathan Wheatley will arrive from Red Bull to take over as team principal as his experience will be vital.

However, Audi also need to confirm the final driver line-up of the Sauber era and only have one driver in place at this stage.

Nico Hulkenberg has already been brought in from Haas and a report from Auto Motor und Sport has shared more details about their search for his new teammate.

Oliver Bearman is the first rookie confirmed to be joining the F1 grid in 2025 and he could be followed by a handful more youngsters.

Kimi Antonelli is eyeing up a seat at Mercedes and Jack Doohan might benefit from Esteban Ocon’s joining Bearman at Haas.

Audi may add to the list of teams hiring rookies and may have a free run at signing former Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich.

Drugovich is attached to Aston Martin but with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll tied down to long-term deals, his F1 prospects seem limited in his current position.

The 24-year-old could be offered a lifeline by F1’s current weakest team but the upsides when they become a works outfit in 2026 could be huge for the Brazilian.

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Felipe Drugovich could break Aston Martin contract if offered 2025 Audi seat

The report from AMuS highlights how some of the best talents currently in Formula 2 are all attached to rival academies.

The only driver Sauber have immediate access to is Zane Maloney who has had a very strong campaign in F2 but isn’t the standout talent from the series this year.

It makes little sense for Audi to develop a talent from another team so they would need to sign a youngster on a permanent basis rather than completing a loan signing.

Liam Lawson has been linked with Audi as his Red Bull contract ends in September if he’s not offered a race seat in 2025.

However, Drugovich could ‘break free’ from his Aston Martin contract should he be offered a chance to race in Formula 1 by another team.

Drugovich has had ‘loose contact’ with Sauber’s management on several occasions but this has never led to a concrete offer.

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Felipe Drugovich faces competition from experienced drivers for 2025 Sauber seat

It’s fair to say that Drugovich is very talented but it’s not a surprise he’s not at the top of Sauber’s shortlist at this stage.

He didn’t race at all the year after winning his F2 title and has taken part in three LPM2 races in the European Le Mans Series for Vector Sport.

A podium at the 4 Hours of Imola has been the highlight of that campaign so far, but when he’s competing against drivers who are facing in F1 and Formula 2 every weekend, it would be a huge gamble for Sauber to offer him a seat.

Valtteri Bottas retaining his Sauber seat looks like the most likely resolution at this stage, but plenty could happen between now and the end of the campaign.

Whoever Sauber decide to bring in alongside Hulkenberg may have their work cut out in 2025 but will hope the first year of Audi’s time in Formula 1 is much more successful.