Valtteri Bottas is likely to lose his Sauber seat for the 2025 F1 season, as Audi F1 are reportedly set to confirm McLaren junior Gabriel Bortoleto as his replacement.
Audi F1, who will take over the existing Sauber team in F1 2026, remain the only non-Red Bull team yet to officially confirm their driver lineup for next season.
The Swiss-based team announced the capture of Nico Hulkenberg from Haas in April, but were forced to assess other options for the second seat after top targets Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon elected to join Williams and Haas respectively for F1 2025.
Current incumbents Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, former Haas driver Mick Schumacher, Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich, current Sauber reserve Theo Pourchaire and Williams F1 2024 supersub Franco Colapinto have all been linked with the second seat at various points over recent months.
Bottas, a 10-time F1 race winner with Mercedes, told media including PlanetF1.com at the recent United States Grand Prix that he had agreed terms on a deal to stay with Sauber for next season, but was still awaiting a final decision from Audi F1 chief Mattia Binotto.
It now appears the Finn is set to be left without a seat for F1 2025, with Audi F1 closing in on the signing of 20-year-old Brazilian starlet Bortoleto.
A report by German publication Auto Motor und Sport claims that a contract to sign Bortoleto has been "finalised" with an announcement expected imminently.
It is said that Audi F1 opted against announcing the signing of Bortoleto at last weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix to spare the youngster from excess media attention at his home event, with the Sao Paulo-born star set to become the first full-time Brazilian F1 driver since Felipe Massa in 2017.
Bortoleto is the current leader of the prestigious F2 (formerly GP2) series, holding a 4.5-point lead over Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar ahead of the final two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The youngster, who is managed by current Aston Martin driver and two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso, has been a member of McLaren's junior academy since last year.
With current McLaren race drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri under long-term contracts, however, team principal Andrea Stella recently signalled a willingness to release Bortoleto to take up a race seat with Audi F1.
Stella told reporters in Brazil: "Having the possibility to talk about Gabriel, I would like to take this opportunity to say once again how good of work he's been doing in junior categories, winning F3, leading F2 at the first season," Stella said in the FIA press conference on Friday.
"And this is to lead into the fact that I think it's very, very normal and natural that Formula 1 teams are interested in having Gabriel as a driver.
"McLaren will not stop the possibility for Gabriel to drive Formula 1. So conversations are ongoing and we will see what the scenario will [be for] the future."
It is unclear whether Bortoleto's arrangement to join Audi F1 will be a loan deal with Binotto, who replaced former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl as the head of the Audi F1 program in July, thought to be keen on a permanent move.
If confirmed, Bortoleto's arrival would likely signal the end of Bottas's F1 racing career, with the Finn an ever-present fixture on the grid since making his debut with the Williams team in 2013.
Bottas has been linked with a return to Mercedes as reserve driver for F1 2025 with a view to returning to a race seat in F1 2026.
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com at last month's Mexican Grand Prix, Bottas admitted that he would be open to rejoining Mercedes in a backup role if he is unable to secure an Audi F1 race drive.
He said: "Firstly, the priority is to stay as a race driver, that's what I want, and that's what I'm pushing for with Mattia.
"But, of course, as I don't have anything signed, we're in October, I've got to look at all the alternatives including going back to the Mercedes family.
"That's for sure one option and I would consider it.
"But there's other options as well, as well as going back to my priority, which is to be a race driver even more."
