Sauber F1 team will drop Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu
The Sauber Formula 1 team will place a new driver pair on the grid next season before switching to Audi's factory team in 2026.
The struggling Swiss team announced on Wednesday that they will drop current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu at the end of 2024.
This announcement coincided with the news of Gabriel Bortoleto's signing for the 2025 season. Boltre, who will be the first Brazilian in F1 since Felipe Massa retired in 2017, is currently leading the f2 championship.
The talented 20-year-old has been part of McLaren's driver development program since 2023 and is the reigning F3 champion. In a statement, McLaren said it was pleased with current drivers Rand Norris and Oscar Pierstree and that Bolt Rate was not in the way of the opportunity to drive with another team.
Sauber previously announced on May 4 that German f1 veteran Nico Hulkenberg will drive for the team in 2025. Hulkenberg is currently driving for Haas, but the American team has new drivers for 2025 with current Alpine driver Esteban Ocon and Ferrari Reserve's Oliver Bearman.
Sauber are the only team that has struggled this season and has not yet scored points. Bottas and Guanyu are both sitting at the zero point, too. Guanyu made his F1 debut with Alfa Romeo in 2022 and remained in the team after returning to the original Sauber name in 2024. His best finish was in 9th place, which he achieved 3 times.
Bottas had 10 wins under his belt and those were all achieved while he was with the Mercedes-Benz AMG. He also joined Alfa Romeo in 2022, but has since struggled to gain any status.
The only F1 seat left in 2025 is in RB. The Red Bull Racing Feeder team has already confirmed the current driver Yuki Tsunoda for next season. Liam Lawson, who is currently driving with Tsunoda, is almost certain to pick up the rest of the seats given a strong performance since joining the team after the Singapore Grand Prix as Daniel Ricciardo's replacement.
