“It is an absolute priority, because we have to make a decision as soon as possible, but we also have to make the right choice,” Binotto told me in his first interview since taking office. “We are in no hurry, in a way.
“It is a priority. Why do I say there is no rush? We now have a list of drivers available and we can certainly take our time to talk to all of them and listen to them and do what is best for Sauber and Audi.
“Our journey looks to the next few years, not just 2025, so when evaluating the choice, we must see what is best knowing what we need to achieve in the future.
“Valtteri [Bottas] That’s fine, and I’ve certainly done that already. [had] “We have spoken to him a bit. The first impression has been good, but, having said that, there are a lot of drivers on the shortlist and, as Audi, we have to take our time to evaluate what is best. We hope that we can make a decision soon.”
Sauber can choose to stick with experience and keep Bottas or Zhou Guanyu for a fourth season or go for youth and choose from drivers such as Gabriel Bortoleto, who is currently second in F2, Robert Shwartzman, Zane Maloney or Theo Pourchaire.
The team is the only one yet to score in 2024, so experience would be useful in returning to the midfield. However, this is a long-term project for Sauber/Audi and so a young talent who is committed for the long term could make sense.