Bortoleto also for Audi-Sauber F1? McLaren agrees on loan

Gabriel Bortoleto’s Hot Autumn

Autumn 2024 looks set to start off really well for Gabriel Bortoletoand not only for the excellent results on the track. The young Brazilian talent, already F3 champion on his debut in 2023, is also making a positive impression in his debut season in Formula 2: with the victory in the Feature Race in Monza, the nineteen-year-old from the Invicta Racing team has closed the gap on leader Isack Hadjar in the general standings, moving to just 10.5 points from the top with six races still to go. An exciting comeback that, if completed, mwould put Bortoleto on the same trajectory as Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastrithat is, three great protagonists of current Formula 1 capable of winning the F3 and F2 championships in succession and on their debut.

McLaren, ok to two-year dry loan?

Results of a certain importance that have inevitably attracted the attention of the top-flight teams. Not only obviously of the McLarenwho has already included the Brazilian talent among the young players of his Academy, but also of the Audi-Sauber of Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatleywho is reportedly thinking of Bortoleto to partner Nico Hulkenberg in the next F1 season. According to rumours reported by the Brazilian newspaper Grand Prizethe team based in Hinwil would have in fact obtained in recent days from McLaren a release for a sort of two-year “dry loan” of the 19-year-old: who could therefore make his Formula 1 debut next season – he would be the fourth rookie with Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan and Andrea Kimi Antonelli – while maintaining a close contractual link with the Woking team.

Binotto’s list for Audi-Sauber’s second seat

It is well known that Bortoleto is on Mattia Binotto’s shortlist, so much so that Audi’s technical manager himself confirmed his interest in him during the Monza weekend. Indeed, the arrival of a talented young man with low salary demands It would seem to be a preferable choice compared to the reconfirmation of Valtteri Bottaswho instead has a salary not too far from that of some top pilots. Furthermore, always according to the reconstructions of Brazilian journalists, for 2025 Sauber would not disdain the idea of ​​saving on driver salariesgiven that Zhou Guanyu’s exit from the scene will bring with it the consequent farewell from some of the Chinese sponsors who supported his career.

Bortoleto, Bottas, Schumacher: it’s a three-way battle

At the same time, it remains to be understood what could be the advantage for a brand like Audi in encouraging the growth of a young player strongly linked to a rival team?given that McLaren could recall Gabriel to the base in 2027. For this reason, the path that leads to Mick Schumacherwith whom Binotto has an excellent relationship: the German – son of the legend Michael Schumacher, with whom the engineer from Reggio worked closely for many years – entered the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2019 under his direction, leaving at the end of 2022 at the end of Binotto’s era as team principal of the Prancing Horse. Casting for one of the last remaining seats for next season looks like a three-way battlewith a final decision expected by the end of September.