Mattia Binotto favourite ‘desperately unlikely’ to earn Sauber seat but Bottas alternative in ‘strong’ position

Follow us on Google Discover

Sauber continue to delay deciding who will be joining Nico Hulkenberg in their 2025 car before they become the Audi works team the following year.

In almost any other season of Formula 1, not knowing who your two drivers were going to be for next year in September wouldn’t be a huge issue.

However, the driver’s market was thrust into action earlier than usual following Lewis Hamilton’s announcement in February that he would be joining Ferrari.

This set off a chain reaction of events led by the ousted Carlos Sainz with multiple teams on the grid chasing his signature.

Audi wanted to sign Sainz for Sauber given his fantastic record in F1 and his connection with the team through his father that would help them transition into the paddock in 2026.

However, once Sainz decided that joining Williams was his best option, Sauber were left with a conundrum.

A report from The Race has outlined how Audi’s new head of Formula 1 Mattia Binotto is feeling about the choice ahead of him.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Sauber and Audi F1 chief Mattia Binotto

One driver who appears to be completely out of the picture despite his previous experience and current availability is Mick Schumacher.

Schumacher is a Mercedes reserve driver and Toto Wolff was keen for him to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams.

However, James Vowles instead opted for F2 rookie Franco Colapinto and despite Binotto’s previous relationship with Schumacher from their time together at Ferrari, it doesn’t appear as though he’s going to offer him a chance to build on his two seasons with Haas.

Mick Schumacher ‘desperately unlikely’ to race for Sauber in 2025

The report suggests that Schumacher is expected to stay within the Mercedes set-up next year and likely continue to race in the World Endurance Championship.

Whether that’s with Alpine or another team is yet to be seen but Schumacher ultimately wants to return to F1.

If a team who haven’t scored a point this season don’t see fit to give him a chance in 2025, with his chances described as ‘desperately unlikely’ then he may need to consider whether a permanent return is ever going to happen.

Schumacher won’t be considered for the vacancy at RB given he’s not part of the current set-up and as F2 champions Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire have proven, it doesn’t take much for a driver to fall out of the conscience of the F1 paddock.

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

Bottas is still the favourite to keep his seat, even if voices in Germany would like to see Audi line up with two home-grown talents in 2026.

The 25-year-old has a relationship with Binotto but the Italian team boss knows there isn’t a place for sentimentality in F1.

Pourchaire is on Sauber’s shortlist, but the report goes on to say that Gabriel Bortoleto has ‘moved into a strong position’ due to his performances in F2 and his manager Fernando Alonso rallying for him behind the scenes.

Gabriel Bortoleto could be allowed to leave McLaren for F1 race seat

Bortoleto is proving to be an incredibly quick young driver and is Isack Hadjar’s closest challenger for the title immediately after winning the Formula 3 title in his debut campaign.

Brazil are backing Bortoleto to reach F1 as they haven’t had a driver for some time but are an incredibly passionate motor racing nation.

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

McLaren could allow Bortoleto to go out on loan to Sauber but would also be open to releasing him – for the right price – if a permanent contract offer comes along.

The 19-year-old would be the fourth confirmed rookie on the grid if Sauber did decide to take a risk on a youngster rather than stick with Bottas.

It would add an extra element of intrigue to next year ahead of the grid being reset by the new regulations in 2026.