Sauber has solidified its 2025 driver lineup, signing Gabriel Bortoleto to race alongside Nico Hulkenberg. Bortoleto, a member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, has achieved great success in the junior categories. He won the Formula 3 championship title in his rookie season in 2023 and currently leads the Formula 2 championship with only two race weekends remaining. Most impressive was his victory during the Monza feature race, in which he became the first driver in history to win from last on the grid. The signing of Bortoleto means the exit of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. With only one seat remaining on RB for 2025, this likely marks the end of their F1 careers. Bottas is believed to be close to a deal with Mercedes, which will see him return to the team as a reserve driver.
Reports suggest that Audi may soon announce a deal to sell part of the Sauber team to Qatar. Less than a year ago, Audi announced they would acquire full ownership of Sauber in a deal estimated to be worth €650m. Since then, Volkswagen (Audi’s parent company) has hit hard times, discussing closures of automotive plants and mass layoffs. There is believed to be internal pressure to justify the massive expense of buying an F1 team, although Audi’s CEO has previously said the acquisition is “perfectly aligned” with their corporate plans. It now seems that the Qatar Investment Authority (Qatar’s state-owned wealth fund) may be eager to purchase a stake in Sauber, with a deal rumoured to be announced ahead of this year’s Qatar Grand Prix. Qatar is already Volkswagen’s third-largest owner, making it a logical fit.
Formula One is preparing to introduce rotating European rounds to the F1 schedule “in the mid-term”. This is according to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who made the claim during an investor call for Liberty Media. There has been a flood of interest from venues to host Formula One races but, currently sitting at 24 races, the calendar is full. This has led some, including Domenicali, to suggest the idea of rotating rounds, which would see circuits host races on different years. This would allow more venues to participate in the sport without adding more races to the championship. With Madrid joining the calendar in 2026 and Barcelona’s contract set to expire at the end of 2026, it has already been rumoured that Barcelona will share are rotating European Grand Prix slot on the calendar with the Dutch Grand Prix. However, the potential to host rotating races has some challenges, the biggest being contracts. The sport has signed long-term contracts with venues, many of which now have contracts that extend well into the 2030s, potentially limiting the venues that could be forced to rotate. A rotating schedule could also prove to be too financially harsh on the circuits, many of which heavily depend on F1 races to generate revenue. Despite this, Domenicali has said that F1 will have “some news to share very, very soon” related to the subject.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association has called for the FIA President to provide more transparency on the reasoning behind financial fines issued to drivers. The demands came in an open letter directed towards the FIA, asking the FIA to clarify both how the fines are determined and where the funds are spent. This is a long outstanding request from the GPDA, which has made similar requests over the past three years, according to the letter. The GPDA believes that monetary fines issued to drivers are “not appropriate” and bring a “negative image” to the sport. The letter also fights back against the recent swearing controversy, attempting to draw a distinction between “swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing”. They also slammed the current FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem for negative comments made in the media, saying:
We urge the FIA President to also consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise. Further, our members are adults, they do not need to be given instructions via the media, about matters as trivial as the wearing of jewellery and underpants.
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
