McLaren join Williams in Audi F1 driver battle with release plan hint made

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has said he would not stand in the way of Gabriel Bortoleto joining Sauber next season, should the call come from Mattia Binotto.

Williams team boss James Vowles had said the team are looking to keep Franco Colapinto on the grid in 2025, with Sauber “realistically” being the only option left, though Formula 2 championship leader Bortoleto is also among the candidates to drive alongside Nico Hulkenberg next year.

McLaren ‘not going to stop’ Gabriel Bortoleto in search for F1 seat

Bortoleto became a McLaren reserve as he rose through the junior categories, but with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both on long-term contracts with the team, there is not a vacancy with the team for several seasons to come yet.

With that, he would have to look elsewhere if he is to make his debut in Formula 1 soon, and Stella confirmed he would be willing to allow him to join Sauber next season, as the team prepares to transition to Audi in 2026 – though he would want that to come with keeping him “in the McLaren family” moving forward.

“I tell Gabriel the same thing I tell the team, don’t look at the classification, just think about the chequered flag all the time, and race one race at a time, with the feet on the ground – and he does it,” Stella said of Bortoleto to media in Baku.

“For me, it’s similar to Oscar [Piastri], it’s not only the ability and the execution when he is in the car, from a driving point of view, it’s also how humble these guys are, how available they are to just get the learning, working with the team – at no point they are arrogant.

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“When you combine talent with hard work and this kind of values and attitude, I think it’s where you can grow as a driver.

“Gabriel is another example of growing so rapidly, like if we think the start [of 2024], even though he’s had to campaign, he had some hiccups at times, not necessarily only due to his driving.

“He had some tough problems, but he didn’t give up. He stayed on the case, and now he’s building step by step.

“If Binotto came to me, when you have such a talent, definitely, you’re not going to stop him having a chance in Formula 1.

“At the same time, we will be definitely interested in finding a way to keep him in the McLaren family, because I think he’s a talent that in the future, could be important for McLaren.

“We are safe for the long term with our two drivers, we couldn’t be any happier, but definitely we would like to keep him in the McLaren family, but I’m sure we could find a solution.”

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