Sauber is desperately looking for: Who will be the new Formula 1 replacement driver?

Sauber is desperately looking for: Who will be the new Formula 1 replacement driver?

Australien - The clean team has confirmed Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto as regular pilots for the 2025 Formula 1 season. While the anticipation for the upcoming races will increase, the team remains in search of a reserve driver. Currently there is a lack of a driver who could step in in an emergency if Hülkenberg or Bortoleto should fail. In the previous season, Theo Pouchaire and Zane Maloney shared this role, but have now left the racing team, whereby Pouchaire switched to the WEC and Maloney to Formula E.

Sauber has time until mid -March to find a suitable replacement driver before the season starts in Australia. The possible candidates include Antonio Giovinazzi, former clean driver and most recently replacement driver for Ferrari, as well as Felipe Drugovich, who is currently working as a reserve driver at Aston Martin and was already talking about Sauber last summer. Hülkenberg itself has a contract for three years at Sauber and is supposed to lead the team to the top of Formula 1, while Audi 2026 will take over the team to secure further progress in the premier class of motorsport.

The challenges of the driver's choice

The search for a replacement driver is crucial, especially in the context of the hard competitive conditions of Formula 1. A look back at the statistics shows the challenges that Hülkenberg has never been on the podium in his career (as of 30.01.2025). Despite his experience and talent, however, he is seen as one of the drivers with the most GP participation without victory after he was unable to score points in 227 Grand Prix starts.

The choice of the right driver could not only significantly influence the team dynamics, but also the performance on the route. A look at the statistical success of other drivers illustrates the expectations aimed at Hülkenberg and Bortoleto. Among them is Max Verstappen, who achieved the most points in one season with 575 points in 2023. Such successes put the pressure on Hülkenberg to bring the team into a successful position, especially since the competition of the other teams is growing.

a new hope in Formula E

There are also exciting developments in Formula E. Oliver Askew, who drives Avalanche Andretti for the Avalanche team, will be the first American to deny a complete season in this motorsport category. Askew, who won the Indy League Championship in 2019, rose to the Indycar series in 2020. In his career, however, he was confronted with challenges, since a scant of brain, recognized late, significantly impaired its shape in the second half of 2020. Despite these setbacks, Askew has so far shown remarkable progress.

The versatile developments in Formula 1 and Formula E illustrate the constant challenges that drivers, teams and the entire motorsport community face. Both in Formula 1 and Formula E remains to be seen how the coming seasons will shape and whether the announced changes can bring the desired success. If you look at the upcoming challenges, it becomes clear that the selection of drivers is crucial for the teams for their success and that the competitions in both series will not lose drama and tension.