McLaren driver 'close' to SHOCK move to F1 rivals

A McLaren star is reportedly ‘edging closer’ to making a shock move to a rival F1 team for 2025.

The 2024 silly season has prompted several driver signing surprises, most notably Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.

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As a result of his exit from Mercedes, the champion prompted a grid re-shuffle which will see Carlos Sainz move to Williams after being ousted from Ferrari.

There will also be multiple new faces joining the grid, including Kimi Antonelli and Ollie Bearman as teams place their faith in the younger generation.

McLaren star linked with F1 Audi seat

Only two seats remain on the grid for 2025, with Visa Cash App RB and Sauber yet to decide their complete line-up.

Sauber initially seemed to favour an experienced driver pairing by retaining Valtteri Bottas for next year, alongside the incoming Nico Hulkenberg.

However, a new favourite has emerged for the soon to be Audi seat, this time from within the McLaren camp.

According to Autosport, Formula 2 title contender and McLaren junior, Gabriel Bortoleto, has emerged as a favourite for Sauber.

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The 2023 Formula 3 champion is just 10.5 points off championship leader Isack Hadjar with three rounds to go, further impressing bosses after securing a victory at Monza.

Despite being a McLaren junior driver, it is thought that they have no intention of standing in Audi’s way to sign the Brazilian star.

Audi’s CTO and COO Mattia Binotto has not confirmed whether they will be opting for Bottas or Bortoleto, but has revealed that they are evaluating the ‘pros and cons’ of opting for youth or experience.

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