Sauber entered a new era heading into the 2024 season, as they ended their partnership with Alfa Romeo. They will now be known as the Stake F1 team for the next two seasons, but that isn’t the only change they are eyeing. Reportedly, Stake wants to get rid of the duo Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in 2024 for the future.
Zhou and Bottas had a fairly quiet 2023 season but did just about enough to continue their spell in the team. However, as per Formua1.uno, Sauber will dive into the 2024 market to explore options for a new driver lineup. Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg are two drivers who are on the shortlist, reportedly.
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This does not mean that Zhou and Bottas‘ days are numbered at the Swiss team. Both drivers enter the 2024 season, with their contracts set to expire at the end of the year. If they end up performing well, Stake might end up extending their contracts.
Nevertheless, the team is currently in a transitional phase with Audi taking over completely in 2026. Hence, their interests will be firmly in the minds of those in charge.
Sauber enters a new era as Stake F1, with Audi takeover edging closer
Audi has been looking to enter F1 for a long time, and they will finally do so with Sauber in 2026 when the sport goes through yet another technical overhaul. There have been reports of several drivers linked to Audi, including Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, but coming up with a concrete guess seems difficult for the F1 community at the moment.
Zhou and Bottas have been with the team since 2022, and have been fairly consistent. However, Alfa Romeo is not a part of the sport any longer, and the team has rebranded as Stake F1 for the next two seasons. This will be a crucial transition period and the team would want to improve on the drivers’ front too.
This could be the reason behind them wanting to change their driver line-ups too. But will Ocon and Hulkenberg want to make the switch?
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Ocon is currently driving for Alpine, with his long-term contract expiring at the end of 2024 too. The French team is hoping to make a push for the top of the midfield in 2024. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg is driving with a one-year extension for Haas, a team that seems to be perennially stuck in the back.
Whether the linked drivers actually make the move before 2025 or not, remains to be seen. For 2024, however, Bottas and Zhou will be looking to impress the bosses at Sauber and Audi.
