Why Mattia Binotto changed his mind about keeping Valtteri Bottas before Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto move

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Sauber finally confirmed their second driver for the 2025 season on Wednesday with the signing of Formula 2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto.

The Brazilian driver will partner Nico Hulkenberg next season with the German joining the team from Haas on a multi-year deal. Bortoleto has also signed a long-term deal that will see him and Hulkenberg become Audi’s first F1 driver line-up when they enter the sport in 2026.

The 20-year-old had been with McLaren and their development programme, but the Woking-based outfit will release him at the end of the season, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri blocking Bortoleto’s path with their long-term contracts.

The move has been universally welcomed by fans and pundits alike, with Martin Brundle saying that F1 is ‘more complete’ with a Brazilian driver. Bortoleto becomes the first F1 driver from the nation since Pietro Fittipaldi took part in the final two races of 2020 with Haas.

Sauber’s signing of Bortoleto came shortly after the news that their current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu would be leaving the team at the end of the season. The duo will depart after three years with the Swiss outfit.

Amid the months of speculation surrounding who would take the second seat at Sauber, it seemed that Bottas was the favourite to be retained for 2025. But CTO Mattia Binotto opted for youth instead of experience.

Lawrence Baretto says the benefits of signing a young driver ‘enticed’ him to sign Gabriel Bortoleto over Valtteri Bottas

According to a report from journalist Lawrence Barretto on the F1 website, Sauber’s ‘senior management initially liked the idea of continuity in one seat’ and that his experience alongside Hulkenberg ‘could be useful in dragging the team off the bottom of the standings.’

The 35-year-old has failed such a feat this season with teammate Zhou, as the pair are yet to score a point after 21 races. Bottas is currently in the bizarre position of 23rd in the drivers’ standings in a 20-driver championship, after newcomers Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson all scored points.

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

According to Barretto, as Binotto evaluated the situation at Sauber and figured out his options, ‘the benefits of signing a young talent started to entice him and the organisation,’ thus turning their attention to Bortoleto.

While Sauber admit that the move could be risky as they would be thrusting a rookie in at the deep end with a machine that is statistically the lowest performing on the grid, ‘the long-term gains of investing in a rising star’ when the team becomes Audi would outweigh the negatives and give them a strong basis to push up the grid.

What is next for Valtteri Bottas in Formula 1?

With Bottas’ Sauber departure confirmed and the Finn most likely nowhere near the conversation for a seat at Red Bull amid the uncertainty their line-ups for 2025, it seems that his time in a full-time F1 seat – for now at least – is over.

However, the 35-year-old could remain in the sport in some capacity. Bottas has hinted at a potential return to Mercedes as the team’s reserve driver behind George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

Bottas has also been linked with a possible move to IndyCar. While there only a handful of seats available for 2025, the Finn would prove to be a hugely experienced option and a big name for marketability and popularity in the US.

Beginning his F1 career in 2013 with Williams, Bottas has won 10 races and grabbed 67 podiums, registering a best finish of second between Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in 2019 and 2020.