Mattia Binotto told Sauber staff he wasn’t hiring Mick Schumacher for bizarre reason

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Sauber will become the Audi works team in 2026 and so while Mattia Binotto doesn’t currently work for the Swiss Formula 1 team, his input is already crucial to the future of the team.

Mattia Binotto was hired earlier in the year by Audi to replace Andreas Seidl and guide the team going forward ahead of their F1 debut.

He’s got a serious job on his hands as after 21 rounds this season, Sauber have yet to score a point.

Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are no slouches, but haven’t been given a car capable of fighting for points this year, and unfortunately, have both lost their seats for next year.

Seidl had already hired Nico Hulkenberg from Haas for 2025, and the German has been in brilliant form this season, making the move look very shrewd already.

However, Binotto had to determine who would be the best teammate for Hulkenberg and had plenty of options available to him.

Sauber seemed interested in retaining Bottas at one point, but instead have opted for young Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto.

Another name that kept coming up in conversations was Mick Schumacher.

However, a report from F1 Insider has shared the strange reason why Binotto decided against hiring the 25-year-old.

Mattia Binotto told Sauber staff strange reason why they didn’t hire Mick Schumacher

Schumacher had a fine junior career before spending two seasons with the Haas F1 team.

Unfortunately, the car wasn’t particularly strong and after a pointless first season, he was beaten in a head-to-head battle with the more experienced Kevin Magnussen.

Schumacher lost his seat to Hulkenberg and then joined Mercedes as a reserve driver, racing in the World Endurance Championship for Alpine alongside his duties with the Anglo-German team.

Binotto talked up Schumacher’s chances of earning a Sauber seat earlier in the year, although he was among several other names such as Theo Pourchaire who always seemed like outside shots.

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

The report from F1 Insider says that Binotto ‘explained internally’ that Sauber went with Bortoleto over Schumacher as their second driver as he thought having two German drivers would be ‘too many’.

It’s a strange reason not to bring in a driver and hardly makes sense given how Audi are keen to be a truly German team in the paddock.

Teams have regularly used two drivers from the same country – such as Alpine and Mercedes this season – but other factors might be at play in this call from Binotto.

Audi set to receive additional investment from Qatar ahead of F1 entry

Sauber are not in a strong position heading into next year and it’s hard to see Audi taking huge strides forward in 2026 even if sweeping regulation changes are being introduced.

Although F1 has introduced a cost cap, Audi are allowed to spend above that to get up to speed before their debut, particularly as they’re building their own power unit.

Audi are set to receive significant investment from Qatar, potentially as soon as next week, to help bring the project to life.

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

That may explain why Audi were less keen on an all-German line-up, but not why they would potentially want a young Brazilian driver instead.

The reality is that Schumacher didn’t do enough during his two years in F1 to prove he deserves another chance.

Instead, the trend of bringing in unproven rookies with potentially higher ceilings has taken hold up and down the paddock.