Red Bull have had a mixed season as they have slumped to third in the Constructors’ Championship behind McLaren and Ferrari.
The Austrian team were the class of the field in the early rounds as Max Verstappen built a sizeable championship advantage.
The Dutchman is on the verge of his fourth consecutive world championship as he could take the title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen has taken just one more victory since he won in Spain in June, which came last time out in Brazil. He has perfectly minimised the damage to fend off Lando Norris.
His teammate Sergio Perez has had his struggles, and Red Bull could consider a driver who hasn’t been widely linked in recent times as a replacement.
Peter Windsor explained more about the driver on his YouTube channel and said he would need to bring money with him.
Red Bull could consider targeting Gabriel Bortoleto as 2025 Sauber driver has ‘all this money’
Gabriel Bortoleto has been very impressive throughout his junior career and he won the FIA Formula 3 championship last season.
The Brazilian driver has been backed by McLaren this year and leads the Formula 2 championship ahead of Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar with two rounds to go.
Bortoleto is joining Sauber for next season alongside Nico Hulkenberg as the pair will look to push the team up the grid before transforming into Audi for 2026.
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Windsor explained there are very few options for Red Bull to replace Perez currently as he brings a lot of money to the team. But if Bortoleto delivers in Formula 1, the Sauber recruit could emerge on Red Bull’s radar for a future move.
He said: “I’ve said for 18 months now when people go on and on and on about or have been going on about Perez needing to be replaced. They need a faster driver.
“I always say, ‘Well, who is out there?’ First of all, who brings £40million? Who’s as good as Sergio Perez? I wouldn’t have said he’s as good as Perez, but he could probably bring £40million.
“But who else? Nobody that I can think of. So, maybe Gabriel Bortoleto if he has all this money from Carlos Slim, or Franco Colapinto could maybe get a Red Bull drive.”
Gabriel Bortoleto should learn a lot at Sauber next season
Bortoleto should be able to sharpen his skills at Sauber and learn alongside Hulkenberg without the spotlight of being at the front of Formula 1 like he would have with Red Bull or McLaren.
The back of the grid can be less frantic than the front as there are no points available and much less at stake most of the time.
This environment should help Bortoleto to adjust to F1 before Audi potentially becomes more competitive or he moves on to another team. Other drivers such as George Russell believe Sauber should be a good fit for Brotoleto, too.
The Brazilian still has the 2024 Formula 2 title fight to focus on for now, and beating Red Bull junior Hadjar to the championship would be a significant confidence boost ahead of Bortoleto’s F1 debut in Australia next year.
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