Kick Sauber confirm Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025 alongside Hulkenberg
6th November 2024Kick Sauber has confirmed Gabriel Bortoleto will join the team for 2025 after announcing Valtteri Bottas’ and Zhou Guanyu’s departure.
Feature image credit: Sauber Motorsport
Kick Sauber’s 2025 driver line up is now complete as the team announced on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, that Gabriel Bortoleto will join the team.
The Brazilian, from Sao Paulo, will join the Kick Sauber team as they continue to work towards their transition into a works team with Audi for 2026.
As such, the team now ‘boasts’ a driver line-up which has a mix of experience and youth in its roster having snatched up Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and, now, Bortoleto.
Welcome to the family @gabortoleto85 🤝 pic.twitter.com/sli2lrabEo
— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) November 6, 2024
On the announcement, Bortoleto said:
“This is one of the most exciting projects in motorsport, if not in all of sports. Joining a team that combines the rich motorsport history of Sauber and Audi is a true honour.
“Beyond simply being a member, I am to grow with this ambitious project and reach the pinnacle of motorsport. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity given to me by the tem and for the chance to work alongside an experienced driver like Nico.
“Both programs have a proven track record of nurturing young talent, and I am confident that together, we will write our own success story.”
Bortoleto left a ‘strong’ impression on Sauber following his junior career, after an impressive championship winning season in Formula 3. He is also leading the Formula 2 world championship by 4.5 points, ahead of Red Bull-backed Isack Hadjar.
*Bortoleto has been added to the group chat*💬💚 pic.twitter.com/hIgBKTMuVN
— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) November 6, 2024
When the Brazilian joins the grid in 2025, he will be the fourth rookie of the 20-car field to compete in Formula 1 alongside; Haas’ Oliver Bearman, Alpine’s Jack Doohan and Mercedes Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“Gabriel has already demonstrated in the junior categories that he has what it takes to be a winning driver,” commented Mattia Binotto, COO and CTO of Sauber Motorsport AG. “We are very pleased that he will become a team member of Sauber and Audi.
“Together with Gabriel, we are on a journey towards success, and we will evolve into a unified force, to shape a new era for Audi in motorsport. Nico and Grabriel represent the ideal combination of experience and youth, positioning us strongly for the future.”
Following the announcement, it ultimately completes the 2025 driver-line up for Formula 1 with only Visa Cash App RB yet to be confirmed but Liam Lawson is effectively penciled in for that position.
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- Who finished where: 2024 F1 Brazil GP
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- Mercedes fined €10,000 total for Brazil GP technical infringement
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
