The 2025 F1 grid is almost complete following the announcement of Gabriel Bortoleto by Sauber/Audi to partner Nico Hulkenberg. The change was the eighth among drivers in the category, a big change considering the current 20 vacancies. The ninth change will be the departure of Sérgio Pérez from Red Bull, who should be replaced by Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda.
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What were the driver changes for the 2025 F1 season?
Sauber/Audi will swap the two drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg and Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto taking the place of Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou.
At Red Bull, four-time champion Max Verstappen’s team is looking for a replacement for Sérgio Pérez, who is expected to leave the team at the end of the season. There is, however, a doubt between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.
At Alpine, Jack Doohan takes over from Esteban Ocon. At Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton replaces Carlos Sainz. Haas will change both drivers: Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman replace Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
Mercedes will place young Andrea Kimi Antonelli in place of Lewis Hamilton. At Williams, Carlos Sainz will be the driver alongside Alexander Albon.
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In addition to the teams that had changes, Aston Martin – Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll – and McLaren – Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – are expected to keep their drivers for next season.
With that, the only doubt remains with RB, Red Bull’s satellite team. With Ricciardo’s departure, there is still no confirmation as to who the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda’s partner will be. There is a tendency that the vacancy will go to New Zealander Liam Lawson, who entered the car this season in place of Ricciardo, but confirmation has not yet been given by the team.
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Which drivers will be in Formula 1 2025?
- Alpine – Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan
- Aston Martin – Fernando Alonso e Lance Stroll
- Ferrari – Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
- Haas – Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman
- Sauber/Audi – Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
- McLaren – Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
- Mercedes – George Russel and Andrea Kimi Antonelli
- RB – Yuki Tsunoda
- Red Bull – Max Verstappen
- Williams – Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz
When will Bortoleto make his F1 debut?
Bortoleto’s debut will be on the Australian GP weekend in 2025, with the race taking place on March 16th.
Why is the team called Sauber/Audi?
Next season, the team should still be called Sauber, using Ferrari engines. In 2026, with the change in regulations, the team will be called Audi and will have engines made by the German company itself, which will lead Sauber’s entire Formula 1 operation today.
– This is one of the most exciting projects in motorsport, if not all sports. Joining a team that combines the rich motorsport history of Sauber and Audi is a real honor – said Bortoleto.
– Beyond simply being a member, my goal is to grow with this ambitious project and reach the pinnacle of motorsport. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity the team is giving me and the chance to work alongside an experienced driver like Nico. Both programs have a proven track record in developing young talent, and I am confident that together we will write our own success story.”
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How did Bortoleto get to Formula 1?
Bortoleto has been part of McLaren’s driver development project since October 2023. Even with the contract with McLaren in force, the English team was negotiating the transfer of the Brazilian to Audi. The main obstacle, however, was the length of the contract. Audi would like to have Bortoleto for four seasons, while McLaren would like to give up the driver only until the end of 2026, keeping the Brazilian as a possibility to replace Norris or Piastri for 2027.
Last weekend, McLaren officially announced that it had broken the contract with Bortoleto, opening the way for the Brazilian to sign with Sauber/Audi. The main doubt, however, was whether Bortoleto would take over the F1 cockpit in 2025 or only in 2026, as the German company and Sauber have not yet agreed on when Audi will take over 100% of the team’s shares.
Initially, Sauber/Audi negotiated with Carlos Sainz, a Ferrari driver, to take over the team’s cockpit from 2025 and lead the companies’ project for Audi’s entry into F1. Sainz’s move to Williams, however, interrupted the Germans’ project, who went looking for options.
The first strong name to emerge was that of Valtteri Bottas, the team’s current and experienced driver, aged 35. The fact that Sauber/Audi, however, had already signed Nico Hulkenberg, aged 37, made the company’s decision makers look more closely at the possibility of a younger driver in the company’s cockpit, investing in a possible star of the future, capable of raising the team’s level with Audi’s entry into the category.
With this, the German company surveyed names such as Franco Colapinto, currently at Williams, Mick Schumacher, son of multi-champion Michael Schumacher, and Theo Pouchaire, the team’s reserve driver, as well as, of course, Bortoleto, who has attracted attention for his excellent results in the Formula 3 and Formula 2.
As the talks unfolded, however, Saudi/Auber came between the names of Bottas and Bortoleto. According to the official “F1” website, an agreement was reached during the São Paulo GP for the Brazilian to be the team’s main driver due to the youth factor and the possibility that the Brazilian will become a star in the category.
During the São Paulo GP, two-time champion Max Verstappen responded about the possibility of Bortoleto taking over a cockpit in Formula 1 and argued that the Brazilian should enter the category.
– I would have hired him already. Especially thinking about the future, 2026 (when there will be a change in regulations), young drivers, big changes in the rules. It’s always good to get used to the team for a year, make mistakes here and there, integrate. Understand a little about the car. You feel much more prepared and comfortable until 2026 arrives – said the Dutchman.
Piastri, who was Bortoleto’s “competitor” at McLaren, also argued that the Brazilian should have a place in the main category of world motorsport.
– He has done a very impressive job, winning Formula 3 as a rookie last year and now leading F2. So, from my point of view, if you are having these types of results, you deserve to be in F1. And I speak from experience about the pain of not getting a place – said the Australian.
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Bortoleto will be the 33rd Brazilian to race in Formula 1. The last driver from the country to compete in the category was Pietro Fittipaldi, who replaced Romain Gosjean in two races at the end of the 2020 season. The last Brazilian starter in an F1 team was Felipe Nassr, who spent two seasons at Sauber between 2015 and 2016.
Bortoleto arrives in F1 after a historic victory in the lower categories of motorsport. The Brazilian was Formula 3 champion in 2023, which led him to move up a category in 2024. In Formula 2, the driver is the current leader of the competition, with 169.5 points, four and a half more than second place. , Frenchman Isack Hadjar.
The Brazilian driver is managed by the team of Fernando Alonso, two-time world champion driver in Formula 1.
