‘Incredible’ Franco Colapinto alternative now ‘real threat’ to Valtteri Bottas’s 2025 Sauber seat

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The United States Grand Prix has already produced some exhilarating action and Sunday’s Grand Prix could have huge consequences for both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship.

Lando Norris will start from pole position ahead of Max Verstappen after the Dutchman won the Sprint Race.

Ferrari are also in a very strong position, however, Lewis Hamilton had a disastrous qualifying session, finishing between both Sauber drivers.

It’s been a long time since Valtteri Bottas has raced against his old Mercedes teammate and if it weren’t for the problems Hamilton was dealing with, the Finn would have once again been rooted to the bottom of the timesheets alongside Zhou Guanyu.

It’s been a disastrous campaign for Sauber as they continue to search for their first point of the season.

They’re going to need a host of retirements and plenty of good luck to achieve that during Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, however, that hasn’t made the team any less of an attractive prospect for the drivers trying to race in F1 next season.

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

Aside from the confusing situation in the Red Bull/RB teams, Sauber are the only manufacturer with an unconfirmed race seat for 2025.

Bottas is said to be the favourite to stay at Sauber, however, he expected a decision to have been made before the race in Austin and since that hasn’t happened yet, speculation continues about who Mattia Binotto will select to drive alongside Nico Hulkenberg.

A report from The Race has shared more details about Sauber’s thinking with the wait to see who will complete next year’s grid.

Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of Franco Colapinto in race to drive for Sauber

Suggestions that Bottas is asking for too much money from Sauber are said to be wide of the mark, but a deal between the Finn and Sauber should have been agreed upon at this stage given how long negotiations have been going on for.

Gabriel Bortoleto appears to be a ‘real threat’ to Bottas’s 2025 seat and is said to be ‘favoured’ over Williams star Franco Colapinto.

Bortoleto has held conversations with Binotto this year and his maiden Formula 2 campaign has certainly turned heads.

READ MORE: Who is Gabriel Bortoleto? F2 and McLaren junior driver’s age, nationality, stats and more

He arrived in the series as the Formula 3 champion and his consistent performances have seen him leapfrog Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar in the standings.

The Brazilian youngster is highly-rated by McLaren and Bortoleto has been described as incredible by Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso.

Alonso’s management team looks after Bortoleto and played a key role in McLaren signing him in 2023 when he was well on his way to becoming F3 champion.

Mclaren can’t promise Bortoleto any immediate progress into F1 even if he wins the Formula 2 title due to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s long-term contracts.

A deal between Bortoleto and Sauber is understood to be possible but the team – who will become Audi in 2026 – would require full control of his future, something McLaren are open to if the right deal can be agreed.

A short-term loan ‘cannot be ruled out’, but Audi won’t want to be seen as a training ground for other team’s drivers.

McLaren boss Zak Brown has high hopes for Gabriel Bortoleto

McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella have a welcome but difficult decision on their hands when it comes to Bortoleto.

The Brazilian appears to be an exceptional talent and up and down the grid, other teams are putting their faith in rookies based on how well the likes of Colapinto and Oliver Bearman have performed this season.

However, Bortoleto isn’t on the same level as Norris or Piastri yet, and losing either driver would be a disaster, although Red Bull wouldn’t be opposed to Piastri being on the market.

Talking about the 20-year-old, Brown said: “He’s a great racing driver, right now, our priority is to help him win the Formula 2 championship, that’s what we’re very much focused on.

“We don’t have an open seat, we’re very happy with our two grand prix drivers and we wouldn’t to hold a racing driver back in his career.

“So we’ve got to see how things play out, focused on winning the championship and focused on not holding him back if we can’t provide him with an opportunity in Formula 1 which looks unlikely at this time.”