Binotto’s Sauber Role Shakes Up 2025 F1 Driver Lineup
Aug.29 - Kevin Magnussen says he is "at peace", even though he is among a throng of drivers who look set to miss out on the last remaining vacancy on the 2025 Formula 1 grid.
Red Bull's junior team RB will choose from within its own pool to fill its second seat next year, meaning only Audi-owned Sauber - currently dead last in the constructors' standings - has a genuine race seat that is yet to be assigned.
It is therefore notable that, according to Auto Bild, Monza will be Mattia Binotto's first appearance in his new Sauber-Audi role - along with Audi CEO Gernot Dollner.
There are plenty of candidates for the last race seat, including incumbents Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, Mick Schumacher, and perhaps even Daniel Ricciardo or even Sergio Perez.
Bottas is believed to be the frontrunner, but rumours suggest he is being asked to take a pay-cut for 2025, and settle for a one-year contract - although he is pushing for two or preferably three more seasons.
Another potential candidate is Ferrari tester Robert Shwartzman, who even drove the currently Ferrari-powered Sauber or 'Stake' car in Friday practice at Zandvoort.
But his nationality could be an issue, with Audi perhaps balking at signing a Russian. Even Shwartzman's more recent move to racing under an Israeli license could be an issue for the German carmaker.
Kevin Magnussen is also without a race seat beyond this season, but he has struggled this year to keep up with his teammate at Haas, Nico Hulkenberg - who is already signed up for Audi-Sauber for 2025 and beyond.
Magnussen, the experienced 31-year-old Dane, admitted to France's Auto Hebdo that he is not ruling out a switch to WEC or Indycar for 2025.
"Yes, all of that," he said when asked if he is potentially interested in series outside of F1. "I think everything is possible in that case.
"At the moment I am in Formula 1 and there are still some places available for next year. So I will see what is available and I will make my decision once I am there.
"I want to see where it all ends up and then I will consider things after that. At the moment, nothing has been decided and discussions are still ongoing, but what will I do if I don't find a place in Formula 1?
"I'm not too stressed," Magnussen insisted. "I'm at peace whatever happens, but I think at the moment there is no news to report on my future. Nothing has been decided."
Sources claim that Magnussen was actually in talks with Sauber boss Andreas Seidl, as the pair know each other well. However, Seidl was then ousted and replaced by former Ferrari team boss Binotto.
Binotto and Magnussen are also acquainted, as the Dane was briefly linked with a move to Ferrari some years ago. Magnussen has also worked in the Ferrari simulator extensively, given Haas' technical links with the Italian team.
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Bottas has said he's only looking for a multi-year deal, but I'm still positive he'll ultimately stay put.
Magnussen & Zhou will definitely end up without a drive alongside Sargeant, & so would Ricciardo or Perez if they got sacked after the season, especially as Red Bull wouldn't necessarily make such a decision until very late in the season, not to mention they would necessarily be an improvement on Bottas any more than the other ones mentioned.
Shwartzman would've already received a full-time chance at some point pre-2022 if he were ever going to get one, so he definitely won't become Hulkenberg's teammate, & the one-off FP1 drive last weekend had most likely been planned long before Binotto's appointment, & even otherwise, has nothing to do with next season's driver lineup matter.
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