Formula 1 team Sauber confirmed neither Valtteri Bottas nor Zhou Guanyu will continue with the team next season.
Sauber will field an all-new driver line-up next season, Nico Hulkenberg to be partnered by a still unconfirmed driver with Gabriel Bortoleto said to be the frontrunner.
After much speculation over the course of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend where various sources reported Bortoleto had signed with the team but that they'd held off on confirming him given the intense reaction expected from the Brazilian fans, the team has officially confirmed Bottas and Zhou's exits.
"After open and constructive discussions with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, we mutually concluded that conditions to continue together could not be met so we agreed that it is time to part ways," Sauber said in a statement.
"We would like to thank both for the contribution they have made to the team in the last three years. They have been the embodiment of professionalism, using their experience and enthusiasm to support our growth."
Although both had hoped to stay on with the team, even through to the Audi days in 2026, the team has said thank you but goodbye.
Bottas had, according to the Finn agreed terms with Sauber but in the end, Mattia Binotto and Co. have opted for a different route to the tried-and-tested 10-time Grand Prix winner.
Cryptically posting on X, "Who's ready to know?", Sauber are on the verge of confirming their full 2025 driver line-up and Bortoleto is leading the running.
The McLaren junior driver, who is leading this year's Formula 2 championship and is managed by Fernando Alonso, has been a star of a junior series.
However, in order to join Sauber, the logistics first meant he had to say goodbye to McLaren with that exit said to have been agreed up in the build-up to the Interlagos weekend.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella hinted at this, saying: "I think it's very, very normal and natural that Formula 1 teams are interested in having Gabriel as a driver.
"In terms of McLaren, McLaren will not stop the possibility for Gabriel to drive Formula 1. So conversations are ongoing, and we will see what the scenario will before the future."
