Bortoletti second driver for the Sauber team

The name Gabriel Bortoletto has been mentioned more and more frequently in recent weeks when discussions and speculation have arisen about who will fill the second cockpit at Team Sauber next year. So the news of the young Brazilian's commitment is no longer all that surprising.

In Bortoletto, they are signing a talented driver to the Sauber team, which will be the works team of car manufacturer Audi from the season after next. The South American won the Formula 3 championship last year. Now he is on the verge of securing the Formula 2 title as well. He leads the overall standings ahead of the last two race weekends at the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.

Bortoletto will be his country's first regular driver in Formula 1 since Felipe Massa, who retired seven years ago. Pietro Fittipaldi is the last Brazilian to have competed in Grands Prix to date. The grandson of two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi replaced the injured Romain Grosjean from Geneva in the last two races for Team Haas four years ago.

"Driving for a team in Formula 1 that combines the rich motorsport history of Sauber and Audi is a great honor," Bortoletto is quoted as saying in a communiqué from the Sauber racing team. "I don't just want to be there, I want to grow with this ambitious project and get to the top of motorsport. I am grateful for the opportunity the team is giving me and for the chance to work with an experienced driver like Nico."

With the signing of Bortoletto, Bottas' last hopes of continuing his partnership with Team Sauber Sauber have also been dashed. Like the Finn, Zhou Guanyu's three-year collaboration with the Hinwil-based racing team will also come to an end after this season. Bottas had moved from Team Mercedes to the Zurich Oberland, the Chinese driver as a Formula 1 rookie.

Bottas' best result at this stage was 5th place two and a half years ago in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. Zhou's best result is 9th place four times. In the current World Championship, both are still without any points.

The personnel issue of Nico Hülkenberg had been resolved since the end of April. Those responsible at the Zurich-based team announced Nico Hülkenberg's multi-year commitment at an early stage. Hülkenberg, currently a driver for the Haas team, had already worked for his future employer for one season eleven years ago.