F1 team confirm 2025 driver lineup as TWO drivers AXED

Audi have confirmed their driver lineup for 2025 and 2026, with Gabriel Bortoleto partnering Nico Hulkenberg at the Hinwil outfit.

The current Sauber-owned team, who will become Audi in 2026, have spent months debating who to choose to drive alongside Hulkenberg, who signed a long-term contract earlier this year.

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Sauber currently sit last in the constructors' championship, having not scored a single point in 2024.

10-time grand prix winner Valtteri Bottas has been axed as part of the news, as has other current driver Zhou Guanyu.

Audi confirm driver decision

Many drivers had been rumoured to be joining Hulkenberg for 2025 including Bottas, Zhou, Franco Colapinto, Daniel Ricciardo and Gabriel Bortoleto.

And it's Bortoleto who has been chosen to partner Hulkenberg for next season, with the 2023 F3 champion signing for 2025 and 2026, overseeing the new era for the team.

Brazilian star Bortoleto currently sits at the top of the F2 championship standings with just two races left in their series.

The McLaren junior driver has been involved in a fierce championship battle with Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar all season long, and will get the chance to seal that championship before moving to Sauber/Audi.

The Brazilian will partner Hulkenberg from the 2025 season onwards, with the team releasing a post on X claiming he had 'joined the chat.'

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