McLaren have said they do not want to get in Gabriel Bortoleto’s way after agreeing to release him from his contract to race with the Audi F1 (Sauber) team for the 2025 F1 season.

Audi F1 will take over the existing one Sauber The F1 2026 team confirmed its driver line-up for the F1 2025 season on Tuesday, naming Bortoleto Nico Hulkenberg‘s teammate.

McLaren releases Gabriel Bortoleto to join Audi F1 team

Bortoleto has established himself as a star of the future in 2024 and is leading the prestigious F2 (formerly GP2) standings ahead of the final two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

The Brazilian pilot, who clinched the championship in F1’s official feeder series, will follow in the footsteps of Hulkenberg, as well as Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Charles Leclerc and George Russell.

Coached by current Aston Martin driver and two-time F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso, Bortoleto joined McLaren’s youth academy at the end of its winning F3 season in 2023.

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While current racing drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have long-term contracts, the Teams’ Championship leaders agreed to take Bortoleto out of the deal in a bid to further his career.

Making a short statement, McLaren said: “Gabriel Bortoleto will leave the McLaren Driver Development program at the end of the 2024 season to pursue a new opportunity in his career.

“It was a pleasure to work with Gabriel last year and to be able to contribute to his success and growth as a driver through the McLaren Driver Development programme.

“We have a strong driver line-up in Lando and Oscar and so we have always been clear that we cannot stand in the way of the opportunity for Gabriel to progress unless we are in a position to offer him a seat at McLaren.” .

“We look forward to continuing to support Gabriel in his campaign for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 championship and wish him every success in his career beyond F2.”

Bortoleto, from Sao Paulo, will become the first full-time Brazilian driver to race in F1 since Felipe Massa in 2017.

Speaking after the Audi F1 deal was announced, Bortoleto praised the German manufacturer’s plans as one of the “most exciting” projects in sport, let alone motor racing.

And he expressed confidence that the team is on track to achieve great things in F1.

He said: “This is one of the most exciting projects in motorsport, if not all sports.

“It is a real honor to join a team that combines the rich motorsport history of Sauber and Audi. With this ambitious project, I aim to grow beyond being a member and reach the top of motorsport.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity the team has given me and 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 we will write our own success story together.”

Mattia Binotto, head of the Audi F1 project, who is believed to be pushing hard to secure a permanent deal for Bortoleto, added: “Gabriel has already shown that he has what it takes to be a winning driver in the junior categories.

“We are delighted that he will become a team member of Sauber and Audi. Together with Gabriel, we are on a journey towards success and will become a united force to shape a new era of Audi in motorsport.

“Nico and Gabriel represent the ideal combination of experience and youth, positioning us strongly for the future.”

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