Sauber would be making very surprising call if they opted for five-podium F2 driver over Valtteri Bottas

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Audi have a lot of work to do in just under 18 months to make sure their Formula 1 team is ready for their debut in 2026.

The current Sauber team is in a torrid state and looks set to go through an entire campaign without scoring a point unless something miraculous happens.

Ted Kravitz believes that Zhou Guanyu’s time in F1 is ending which narrows the pool of drivers Audi’s head of F1 Mattia Binotto has to choose from for next season.

Thankfully, his predecessors decided to commit Nico Hulkenberg to the project and he looks set to arrive at his old team in fine form.

However, speaking on The Race Podcast, journalist Edd Straw has been assessing who could be racing alongside him next year.

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

The most obvious candidate if Zhou is out of the picture is his current teammate Valtteri Bottas.

The Finn is vastly experienced but it’s hard to tell how close to his peak he still is due to the struggles of the current car.

The other driver in the conversation is McLaren and five-time F2 podium sitter Gabriel Bortoleto.

The young Brazilian has had a fantastic rookie campaign at that level after winning the Formula 3 championship.

However, Straw has admitted that he would be ‘very surprised’ if Sauber opted for Bortoleto over Bottas at this stage.

He refused to rule it out completely though as it doesn’t seem like Binotto – or whoever is deciding within the senior Audi and Sauber ranks – knows exactly what direction to go in.

Gabriel Bortoleto would be ‘very surprising’ Sauber choice for 2025

Asked if Bortoleto is under consideration for the second Sauber seat and the likelihood of the young Brazilian partnering Hulkenberg, Straw said: “Yes, he is under consideration for the second Sauber seat.

“Obviously, Fernando Alonso, through his A14 management company, is pushing him.

“How likely is it? I would be very surprised if they didn’t decide to stick with the experience of Bottas because I do think they need that.

“They’ve got a long way to go that team and Bottas has been frustrated with some of the way things have gone over the past couple of years.

“So, there’s plenty that needs to be done and Binotto likes Bottas, certainly, but the decision, as far as I know, isn’t made.

READ MORE: Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin

“So Bortoleto is still in the mix if they decide to go down the rookie path, then he would appear to be in a good position for them to take him in terms of the attention.

“He’s on McLaren’s books as well. So, obviously, there’s been a lot of focus on the Antonellis and the Bearmans in F2.

“But I think as we get to the business end of the season, Bortoleto’s reputation has quite rightly been enhanced.

“And yeah, he’s certainly someone who could well have a future in F1, if not next year with Sauber then potentially beyond that.”

Gabriel Bortoleto has held talks with Sauber over next year’s seat

Although Bortoleto is the less likely candidate at this stage, if he continues to stand out in Formula 2 and Sauber continue to struggle, then the gamble on a rookie might look more and more enticing.

Bortoleto has held talks with Sauber during recent race weekends and would be a cheaper option than the Finn as well as bringing significant backing from Brazil.

There are already a handful of rookies preparing to make their Formula 1 debuts in 2025.

RB could also decide to replace Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson in the other seat not confirmed for next year.

If Bortoleto does leapfrog Bottas in Sauber’s thinking, it would be a quarter of next year’s grid would be competing in their first full F1 campaign, something that hasn’t happened for a long time.