Formula 1's Valtteri Bottas & Zhou Guanyu to Leave Kick Sauber After 2024, Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto Signs For 2nd Seat!
Another F1 racing team has solidified its 2025 driver lineup!
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber previously signed Nico Hulkenberg on a multi-year deal starting in 2025, leaving just one spot open on their Formula 1 team.
Current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu‘s futures have been unknown until now. It was announced first thing on Wednesday (November 6) that both drivers will be leaving the team after the 2024 season, following a rough year for the team.
Keep reading to find out more…
“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. 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,” Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber shared in a statement.
“After three years at @stakef1team we decided to part ways. I want to take this opportunity to thank each & everyone in the team, everyone I’ve worked with, and especially you guys out there for the support then, now and in the future ????” Valtteri captioned a video post on Instagram. “Looking forward for what’s to come!”
He is rumored to be vying to return to Mercedes as a reserve driver.
Zhou shared on his Instagram, “I will be leaving the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber at the end of the 2024 season. I would like to thank all of the fans for their continued support. You have been fantastic, and you continue to inspire me. I am immensely proud to represent my country as the first ever Chinese Formula 1 driver. I hope that my racing continues to inspire others who are following my story. I am happy to have already achieved many things under difficult conditions in Formula 1, including scoring points in my first race, fastest lap and some memorable battles throughout the grid. Sadly, the last two seasons have been challenging for all, but I want to look forward. I am positive about the future, and I am now totally focused on making sure that I can truly show what I am capable of. I’m now discussing a number of options to stay in the Formula 1 Paddock, will update to you all soon.”
Valtteri and Zhou are the only two current drivers on the 2024 grid who have not scored a single point this season.
It was also just announced that Formula 3 champion and current lead in the F2 driver standings, 20-year-old Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, has been signed to a multi-year deal as the second driver on the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber starting in 2025.
“Gabriel has already demonstrated in the junior categories that he has what it takes to be a winning driver,” Sauber COO and CTO Mattia Binotto shared in a statement. “We are very pleased that he will become a team member of Sauber and Audi. Together with Gabriel, we are on a journey towards success, and we will evolve into a unified force to shape a new era for Audi in motorsport. Nico and Gabriel represent the ideal combination of experience and youth, positioning us strongly for the future.”
“This is one of the most exciting projects in motorsport, if not in all of sports. Joining a team that combines the rich motorsport history of Sauber and Audi is a true honour. Beyond simply being a member, I aim to grow with this ambitious project and reach the pinnacle of motorsport,” Gabriel shared. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity given to me by the team and for the chance to work alongside an experienced driver like Nico. Both programs have a proven track record of nurturing young talent, and I am confident that together, we will write our own success story.”
If you didn’t know, or forgot, Kick Sauber will become Audi in 2026!
There is now only one seat up for grabs on the 2025 Formula 1 grid, on the Visa Cash App RB team. Yuki Tsunoda is currently the only driver signed to the team next year.
Find out all of the latest on the 2025 Formula 1 drivers grid!