Sauber have received perhaps unexpected advice over their driver conundrum from 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen.

The only available seat remaining in the 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:2025 F1 driver line-up is with the team who💎 will evolv🐷e into Audi a year later.

Sauber are weighing up whether to keep Valtteri Bottas alongside their new signing🍰 from Haas, Nico Hulkenbe🌟rg, or to give a chance to rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.

F1 champion Verstappen unequivocally backed Bor♎toleto in the battওle for the drive.

“Yeah, I mean,♉ if I was Sauber, I would 𓄧have signed him already,” Verstappen insisted.

“I mean, esp🃏ecially if that's anyway the future, you know, young drivers. And ‘26, big rule change.

“It's always good to get used to a team already for a year, make your mistakes here 🌟and there, get integrated well, understand the car a bit.

“You always feel much more prepared and comfortable when you then sta🙈rt in ‘26.”

Bottas has been in talks with Sauber for several weeks over extending his stay but has still not been offered the cha𝓰nce to put pen to paper.

Bortoleto is cur🅘rently impressing by leadin✅g the Formula 2 championships and enters his home round in Brazil this weekend. He is the reigning F3 champion too.

But he🤡 is contracted by McLaren providing an additional hu♌rdle if Sauber opt to give him the nod.

“I think he's been doing a very impressive job,” Mc🔴Laren’s Oscar Pias🦄tri said.

“Obviously winning F3 as🎃 a rookie last year and now leading the champi൲onship in F2.

“So yeah, I think from my point of view, when you're achieving those kind of result🐬s, you deserve to be in F1.

“ And I have the personal experience of the pain of not getting a seat. So for his sake, I hope he doesn't have🐬 to g♑o through that.

“I don't think anyone will ever go through quite the extent that I did. But I think ꦫhe's been doing a very good j🌸ob.

“Yeah, if he's doing it on merit, then I think 🐭he dese🧸rves a place in F1.”

McLaren team principal Andrea🦋 Stella has previously indicated that he would be willing to thrash out a deal with Sauber which ena🔥bles Bortoleto to drive their F1 car - but with a catch.

“If Mattia Binotto came to me, when you have such a talent, definitely you’re not going to sto𒆙p him having a chance in Formula 1,” Stella previously said.

“At the same time, we would 🌠be definitely interested in finding a way to keep him in the McLaren family.

“Because I think 🐓he is a talent that in the future could be important for 🌠McLaren.”