German manufacturer Audi is set to make an entry in F1 from 2026. They’ll be taking over the existing Sauber team and former Haas driver Mick Schumacher was highly linked to drive for the German outfit. While there were initial rumors, Audi F1 boss Mattia Binotto ultimately decided to go with a different driver lineup from 2025 onwards.

Sauber, who will later become Audi, has now officially announced their two drivers for next season. Nico Hulkenberg was already confirmed earlier this year and now rookie Gabrielle Bortoletto joins the grid, dashing Mick Schumacher‘s hopes of a return. Mattia Binotto said that the German was a serious candidate but ultimately chose to overlook him.

I know him very well from the past and I know his strengths and maybe his weaknesses as well, but certainly I think he would have been a good choice. I think there is no reason why or blames for me, the reason simply goes we decided for Gabriel and that’s it. And I think that maybe we should ask the same of Toto: why Kimi and not Mick?

Mattia Binotto said, as reported by Planetf1. comWhile Schumacher was initially considered to drive next to Hulkenberg, several factors saw Binotto overlook the 25-year-old. Ultimately, Bortoletto was chosen as his youth, promise, and potential commercial value aligned better with the team’s plans.

I think at some time you need to come to a decision and you make to make a decision. So today, we made the decision to employ and to hire Gabriel and we are happy. Mattia Binotto addedRELATEDMcLaren should reconsider its bet on Lando Norris for F1 futureMattia Binotto explains reasons behind not retaining Valtteri Bottas for 2025Mattia Binotto saw Valtteri Bottas as a strong candidate due to his speed, especially compared to Zhou Guanyu.

However, the issue that led to the team not retaining him was the length of the contract. Valtteri Bottas, Audi F1 show car (images via IMAGO)The 54-year-old stated that Bottas wanted a multi-year deal, which didn’t align with Audi’s offer, leading them to search for another driver. Binotto emphasized that the team needed flexibility for future decisions.

It has been since I’ve started here in August, a great relationship, building it, trusting each others, and I think we really set up good communication between us. It’s a long, long journey and I think that’s mainly on the duration where we reflect together a lot, and it’s when we came and I came to the conclusion that maybe we need to have a young driver with us. Mattia Binotto explainedRELATEDLewis Hamilton’s former teammate reportedly exploring Mercedes return after Audi snubFormula 1 is an unpredictable sport where a driver’s future can hang by a thread.

Teams constantly look for improvement and often opt for younger drivers, leaving the experienced drivers on the sideline.