Audi is like the newcomer in high school that every person takes an interest in. The German manufacturer has not yet made its F1 debut, as that is scheduled for 2026, but it has already made a splash in Formula 1. With some tweaks to its leadership positions, the team ditched Andreas Seidl and took up Mattia Binotto as its frontman. And it also solidified a multi-year deal with Nico Hulkenberg for its maiden F1 campaign. However, one seat is still up for grabs at Audi’s future driver line and there are many racers vying for it.

Despite names of experienced racers like Valtteri Bottas and even Sebastian Vettel being in the mix, the Audi seat might go to a rookie. The person in question is none other than the Brazilian talent Gabriel Bortoleto. The 19-year-old currently races for Invicta Racing and is the runner-up in this season of Formula 2. Last year, he even signed with McLaren to join their junior drivers’ program. And now, his name has been in the headlines as Audi has shown interest in the former F3 title winner.

Brazil has produced some of the greatest F1 racers, including Ayrton Senna. But since Pietro Fittipaldi raced as a substitute for Roman Grosjean in 2020, the F1 tracks have not seen a single recruit from Brazil. But soon, that problem might find a solution as Audi’s new COO and CTO, Mattia Binotto, has taken an interest in Gabriel Bortoleto. However, the youngster is under the wing of Zak Brown, and thus, recruiting him will require Mattia to negotiate with the papaya army CEO himself. Bortoleto told Formu1a.uno how he feels to see the hype around him, saying, “I don’t know if Binotto gave an interview or spoke to anyone but it’s always nice to have interest from a team like Audi.”

He also revealed how he discovered that he had suddenly become the talk of the motorsport town. Bortoleto said, “I woke up a few days ago and was surprised by the various messages on my mobile phone. A website in Italy was the first to write about Audi’s interest in me and then they started writing it here in Brazil too.” Now, what did Fernando Alonso, do to further stress Audi’s interest in the young racer?

Fernando Alonso’s secret visit to Audi’s factory airs rumors about Bortoleto

Fernando Alonso is currently an F1 racer at 42 and he has a multi-year deal with Aston Martin already. Still, he visited the Sauber motorhome at the Belgian GP right ahead of the start of the summer break. This can only point to one thing: the Spaniard had gone over to Sauber to discuss the possibility of Bortoleto, his managerial client, joining Sauber’s future self, Audi. Gabriel Bortoleto has signed with Alonso’s A14 Management agency, and to explore his recruitment options, Nando might have gone to visit Sauber’s bosses in Spa.

In 2026, Audi will debut in F1 by taking full control over Sauber’s operations. This explains why Alonso went to the Swiss team’s motorhome. However, this news comes as a bit of a disappointment for Sauber’s current racers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. Both of them have expressed their interest in driving for Audi, while Bottas also said that Mattia Binotto’s entry into Audi will prolong contract talks for him. The Finn hinted that he had no idea when Audi would even announce their second driver.

So, on one hand, there is the 10-time F1 Grand Prix-winning Valtteri Bottas. On the other side, there is a rookie who is vying for the F2 Championship currently. Whom do you think Audi will pick at last?