Karun Chandhok names the F1 driver who should be ‘banging on the door’ to replace Valtteri Bottas

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Valtteri Bottas is one of the few drivers who still doesn’t know his plans for 2025. He’s waiting to see if Sauber offer him a new contract to race alongside Nico Hulkenberg.

Seven of the 10 teams have now confirmed their driver line-ups. Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo are still enveloped in uncertainty at Red Bull as the team decide who should partner Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda.

Zhou Guanyu and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, who’s officially lost his seat, both seem resigned to dropping off the grid. But Bottas remains hopeful of an extension.

Audi, who have already taken control of the Sauber team ahead of their 2026 arrival, are unsure whether to field an all-veteran line-up or allow Hulkenberg to mentor a younger, more exciting driver. Mattia Binotto is keen on Gabriel Bortoleto, the McLaren junior who’s challenging for the Formula 2 title.

Bottas may not fit Audi’s image as they try to paint themselves as a forward-looking enterprise. He’s a 10-time race-winner with 67 podiums but he recently turned 35.

The Finn has consistently had the better of Zhou this season but there has been little praise for efforts. He currently sits bottom of the drivers’ championship, having failed to finish a race higher than 13th.

Karun Chandhok urges Franco Colapinto to push for Sauber seat

Speaking live on Sky Sports F1 during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, Karun Chandhok put Franco Colapinto forward as a potential solution for Binotto. Colapinto recently replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams.

He knows he won’t be racing for the team next season following the signing of Carlos Sainz. The Argentine would offer the youth of Bortoleto with the advantage of nine weekends of F1 experience.

As Chandhok points out, the 21-year-old would also bring information about Williams’ Mercedes power unit. That could be especially useful for a newly-established manufacturer.

Depending on the details of his contract, James Vowles may have to release Colapinto. He’d be strengthening a direct rival by doing so, but equally his path is blocked at Grove.

Chandhok said: “If I was his management, I’d be banging on the door of Sauber and saying ‘look, look, I’m here, I’m getting experience, I’m going to be banking all this knowledge from a Williams with a Mercedes power unit, and maybe I can bring that information to Audi’. I’d be bringing every trick in the book to get a seat at that Sauber team next year.”

Jacques Villeneuve tells Franco Colapinto to slow down at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Colapinto finished an impressive P12 on his debut at Monza but clearly remains raw. Indeed, he was disappointed with his qualifying showing as he took P18.

He then hit the wall in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday. Jacques Villeneuve urged Colapinto to slow down and warned him against overdriving.

He knows that this is effectively an audition for an F1 seat, whether that’s at Sauber next year or another team further down the line. And that pressure could trigger mistakes.

Colapinto’s manager doesn’t expect him to be on the grid, but if he continues to impress, Sauber are bound to take note. It would be a move nobody predicted at the start of the season, but one that could make sense.