It’s safe to assume that the rumour mill about who Nico Hulkenberg’s teammate at Sauber could be will only gain momentum until the future Audi factory team makes an official statement and names that driver.
Meanwhile, new names appear on the list of possible candidates. However, they are not so new, it is just that with each new publication on this topic there is a wave of interest from the press and the public, and a new round of discussions begins. Moreover, there was no real information, but the Finnish media is seriously alarmed that Valtteri Bottas’ career could end at the end of this year.
On the one hand, everyone understands that it would make the most sense for him to continue working with the Swiss team, as he is still a fast racer and few can boast experience, which totals 236 Grands Prix. Thus, Formula 1 veteran Mika Salo recently said that such a scenario remains the most likely.
But as soon as Auto Motor und Sport, a very well-informed German publication, mentioned that Mick Schumacher has a chance to get a seat at Sauber/Audi, and that he should be considered the biggest threat to Bottas, a publication appeared in the Finnish tabloid Iltalehti dedicated to this version.
It’s called exactly that: “Bottas’ career is threatened by an unexpected challenger.”
In particular, the newspaper claims that Mick, like Valtteri in his time, is working with Mercedes, albeit only as a reserve driver, but that the son of a seven-time world champion has much more recent information than Bottas, who left the team almost three years ago. And for Audi, this could be a strong argument – together with Mick’s big name and German citizenship.
But there is another consideration, and also quite logical: Mattia Binotto, who recently headed the Audi factory programme in Formula 1, knows Mick well: they have known each other since Schumacher Jr. trained at the Ferrari Racing Academy and was considered a promising driver.
It seems that Valtteri is the least worried about all these rumors and versions: during his summer vacation he managed to visit Norway, the Arctic Circle in Finland, hot California and now he is cycling on the roads of Montenegro.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
