A clue may need appeared on social media which signifies what Audi will do within the driver market.
Eagle-eyed F1 followers noticed an Instagram publish by Valtteri Bottas.
“Enjoyable day in California,” Bottas posted alongside an image of himself with an Audi highway automobile.
The automobile was emblazoned with ‘77’ – the racing variety of Bottas.
Audi will proceed operating as Sauber subsequent season earlier than their full evolution into the mighty German model in 2026, when the brand new F1 guidelines start.
However their undertaking has began in earnest, with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg already recruited to provide the German model a German driver for 2025 and past.
One seat at Sauber subsequent season stays free, with each of their present drivers – Bottas and Guanyu Zhou – hoping to snare it.
Audi have already made massive strikes off the monitor, hiring ex-Ferrari workforce principal Mattia Binotto as Chief Working and Chief Technical Officer. Jonathan Wheatley will go away Pink Bull to turn into Audi workforce principal.
Bottas has admitted that Binotto’s arrival – and the ensuing exit of Andreas Seidl – will impression his talks to remain subsequent yr.
“It’s going to reset the talks a bit,” he admitted.
“It’s a little bit of a sophisticated state of affairs, however let’s see.”
However his determination to publish an Audi highway automobile branded by his signature racing quantity has intrigued followers who now assume Bottas has been chosen as Hulkenberg’s teammate for 2025.
The Audi F1 undertaking has come below criticism from a number of instructions.
Lacking out on Carlos Sainz, the Ferrari driver who will as a substitute go to Williams subsequent yr, was labelled a “vote of no confidence” in Audi’s imaginative and prescient by Sky Sports activities’ Craig Slater.
Ex-F1 workforce proprietor Eddie Jordan has additionally insisted that Audi’s option to arrange in Germany quite than the UK is “essentially unsuitable”.
