Kick Sauber’s deadline for their 2025 driver lineup is fast approaching, and F1 fans are awaiting a hotly anticipated announcement. Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas have raced for the Swiss-based Sauber team for the past three seasons.
Neither driver has secured a contract extension for next year and at least one of them is expected to be replaced by current Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg. Sauber has struggled in 2024, remaining the only team on the grid without a single point.
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Despite this tough season, fans are still behind them as they set their sights on 2026 when they will transition into the Audi works squad. Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi has however hinted that a driver decision is imminent.
“We have said already in Monza that he’s taking charge of all the dossiers, and the drivers is of course one of the most important ones,” Alunni Bravi said in a press conference in Baku. “We are evaluating all the options to see which is the best balance between a short-term experience and medium, long-term, maybe young talent.
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“There are potential candidates on both sides. Valtteri is a strong driver for our team. We know him very well. He has been with the team already for three years, and of course he’s one on top of our list. But there are other opportunities. We are just looking at all the pros and cons, and Mattia will take a decision based not only on 2025, but also the medium/long-term strategy for the Audi F1 project.”
On drivers, he said: “It’s not about the deadline because, of course, we are not opportunistic. Now that there is only one seat available, we want to take time. It’s more to assess everything, every aspect, and to take a right decision. I think there is no rush, but we want to tick this box also soon. So, I think it will be a matter of the next weeks.”
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