Sauber was going to recruit Gabriel Bortoleto for the Audi project in 2026 regardless of whether he races for the team in 2025, according to Mattia Binotto, but the team’s COO and CTO says the timing was partly bolstered by the strong performance of Formula 1 rookies this year. year.

Bortoletto (pictured above)who currently leads the Formula 2 championship standings, was announced on Wednesday as joining Nico Hulkenberg at Stake next season, before the Sauber-led team becomes Audi the following year for the start of new regulations. Hülkenberg and the Brazilian rookie will replace the current duo of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, and while Binotto says Oliver Bearman’s recent strong performances haven’t really surprised him, they have boosted confidence in the newcomers’ ability to succeed immediately. in F1.

“I know how great some young drivers are. I know Ollie very well because of my past experience – he was part of our driver academy at the time,” said Binotto, who served as Ferrari F1 team principal from 2019 to 2022. “I knew that Ollie could do very well in F1 and it was no surprise to me to see how well he is performing today.

“I think so, they’re all doing really well, and it’s great. It’s great for F1. But I trust them all – I know they can succeed, and I don’t think I was waiting to see them succeed before I made a decision.

“I have followed Gabriel’s career, certainly even more intensely in recent weeks and months. I saw him run very well, impressed by the speed, the potential, but also by this ability to develop and improve first. I think he’s one of the most talented and high-potential drivers we have as rookies, and for Audi it was a no-brainer: go for it.

“So we would have gone for Gabriel – that would have been our choice anyway. The second question we had was, should we do it right away in 2025 or should we give it some time to develop first and then maybe postpone until 26?

“But ultimately, yes, seeing young drivers succeed in F1 has given me more confidence that Gabriel can do very well from the start, and that if anything, that has been the convincing factor. is not about an overall choice for a young and interesting young driver for Audi – the journey and the project are important and essential – but rather, how soon could this happen and again, I; I’m confident he will do well from the start.

Bortoleto is set to join Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan and Liam Lawson as rookies tackling their first full season in F1 next year, while Franco Colapinto has also been linked with a seat in the Red Bull setup.