Former
F1 team boss
Franz Tost believes Sauber (soon to be
Audi) have missed an opportunity to sign German driver
Mick Schumacher for the 2025
Formula 1 season. On Wednesday, Sauber confirmed they will put
Gabriel Bortoleto alongside
Nico Hulkenberg in 2025. Tost himself would never choose Bortoleto because he is "
a risk factor".Tost has seen Bortoleto perform well in the step-up classes to
Formula 1 but suggests that
F1 is a different level. He cited the examples of
Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman during the
Brazilian Grand Prix weekend where they struggled in wet conditions.
"Oliver Bearman often went off the track and seemed overwhelmed. And Franco Colapinto had two serious accidents. This cost Williams millions. From a political point of view, it would also be an extremely unfortunate decision," Tost told
F1 Insider. It is worth noting that experienced drivers, including
Carlos Sainz, also struggled in the wet conditions and crashed.
Why Schumacher is the better candidate according to Tost
Tost, who was a longstanding team boss at Red Bull's sister team, explains why they should've gone for Schumacher. "Mick is still young and has won both crucial junior classes, something Bortoleto has not yet achieved. In addition, he is very fast, has constantly improved during his two years with the Haas team and now, in his role as a test driver, has a lot of mileage experience with the current Formula 1 cars," Tost said. Bortoleto won the F3 title in his debut season, and currently leads the F2 championship as a rookie.
Tost also disagrees with Sauber's decision to sign
Nico Hulkenberg.
"In my opinion, he doesn't belong in Formula 1 anymore. They would be better off giving a young German like Mick Schumacher a chance," explained Tost.
This article has been created in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen