Mattia Binotto arrived, got to work, and in Monza he already named several drivers who could be candidates for the Audi seat still available alongside Nico Hülkenberg.
It is said that not all chances are lost for Valtteri Bottas, whose performance so far is satisfactory, but they have also indicated that Théo Pourchaire is also being monitored, and in fact, Mick Schumacher has not been "released" yet. An interesting name is joining him in the hat, which is McLaren's junior, Gabriel Bortoleto, who is in the F2 championship. Would he be the laughing fourth? All this is not yet known, but there is a lot of movement in the background, which is also proven by the fact that McLaren has already indicated that it would be a partner in making its protégé debut at the rival. The youngster has since passed his first F1 test in his life, at the Red Bull Ring.
According to the international press, Bortoleto has already started negotiations with McLaren, with the permission in hand, but the papaya team stipulated that they would release their driver for a maximum of two years, and only on loan, and that they would reserve the right to employ Bortoleto if Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri were to leave them for any reason. Rumor has it that this could be the Achilles heel of the story, as Audi has stipulated: If they employ a young driver, they would not want it for one or two years, but only for the long term.
