The identification of Kick Sauber’s second driver for 2025 is but to be introduced, however Max Verstappen believes that F2 championship chief Gabriel Bortoleto is the person the squad ought to signal to race alongside Nico Hulkenberg.
Whereas Hulkenberg was introduced again in April as becoming a member of the group subsequent 12 months forward of their transition into being Audi’s works outfit in 2026, hypothesis has been persevering with over who will associate the German, with the futures of present drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu each unclear.
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One other identify linked to the seat is that of Bortoleto, the 20-year-old Brazilian who’s a part of the McLaren Driver Improvement programme. After profitable the Method 3 championship on his debut in 2023, Bortoleto has impressed thus far in his first F2 marketing campaign and at the moment leads the standings by 4.5 factors from Isack Hadjar forward of the ultimate two rounds.
When quizzed concerning the younger driver throughout Thursday’s press convention on the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Verstappen expressed his view that Bortoleto could be the best choice for Sauber forward of a brand new set of technical rules being launched within the sport in 2026.