Following Audi’s acquisition of Sauber, focus sharpens on their driver lineup strategy for the upcoming seasons, amid swirling rumors.
Just one day after reports emerged that Audi had completed the acquisition of 100% of Sauber (with an official announcement expected today), rumors about the drivers began swirling in Saudi Arabia.
With Audi’s involvement no longer in question, Sauber now appears to confidently look towards the future – focusing not just on a brand change for 2026, but also on its drivers for the upcoming seasons.
Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, both at the end of their contracts by the end of 2024, seemingly haven’t convinced the German marque for 2025 according to these rumors.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the Sauber team representative, racing under the name Stake F1 this season, offers a measured response but acknowledges in Saudi Arabia: “With the cars so close to each other, I am from the old school and I believe the driver must make the difference in qualifying.”
“And if we can’t start from better positions, it will be difficult to score points. In Bahrain, Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon were able to make a difference within their respective teams.”
“It’s up to us to provide our drivers with a car that’s easier to handle in qualifying, but our two drivers also need to do more.”
The last statement clearly serves as a nudge to the Finn and the Chinese, perhaps already preparing them for a decision to be made between Sauber and Audi later this year.
Audi’s radar includes Carlos Sainz, who will no longer be with Ferrari in 2025, whose famous father is already part of the Audi driver family.
“Sainz is a great driver,” admits Bravi, “and for 2025 and 2026, we need to think and understand what the best driver combination for us is.”
“So, it’s not just for the next season but also beyond, because as we know, our future is Audi. We will first talk to our drivers, and the primary goal is to give them a more competitive car so that they can truly shine.”
“We will then look at all the opportunities in the market.”
Audi Sauber Driver Strategy. Audi Sauber Driver Strategy
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