Surprise new Audi F1 target emerges with McLaren-backed driver on the radar – report

Audi will officially arrive in F1 in 2026 after taking over the existing Sauber team

As Sauber plots out the driver line-up for the fast-approaching Audi era, Nico Hulkenberg reportedly could find himself alongside a rookie team-mate for F1 2025.

And the driver in question is 19-year-old Brazilian and current McLaren junior Gabriel Bortoleto.

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Bortoleto has pieced together an impressive CV in the junior categories, his crowning achievement to date being winning the 2023 Formula 3 Championship. He now finds himself in the hunt for the Formula 2 title, currently P2 in the Championship standings. He has so far claimed an F2 feature race win in Austria and three further P2 finishes.

Bortoleto is looking to emulate the achievement of current McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri who won the F3 and F2 titles in back-to-back seasons.

However, his immediate future may not be with McLaren’s F1 setup, but rather with Audi as the iconic German brand prepares to take over Sauber in time for their F1 2026 arrival on the grid.

As per Formu1a.uno, Bortoleto is under consideration from new Audi F1 chief Mattia Binotto as he looks to determine Hulkenberg’s future team-mate. With just one seat remaining, current Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu know that at least one of them will be shown the door at the end of F1 2024.

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It is a time of great change at the team, following the huge news that former Ferrari team principal Binotto had replaced Andreas Seidl at the head of Audi’s F1 project, with chairman Oliver Hoffmann also out.

The overhaul has not stopped there, with long-serving Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley signed as team boss to manage the Audi F1 operation with Binotto.

Audi explained that the decision to bring in Binotto was a move to create independence for their F1 team from the main structure.

“Our aim is to bring the entire Formula 1 project up to F1 speed by means of clear management structures, defined responsibilities, reduced interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes,” explained Audi CEO Gernot Döllner.

“For this purpose, the team must be able to act independently and quickly.”

Binotto assumed his chief operating and chief technical officer roles on August 1, with Sauber currently bottom of the F1 2024 Constructors’ Championship standings as the only team yet to score a point.

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