Mattia Binotto confirms the continuity of his driver duo and clears up one of the unknowns on the grid. He highlights the German's experience and the Brazilian's progression.
Audi already has its lineup defined for the 2027 season: Mattia Binotto, head of the German team, confirmed during the official FIA press conference at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg will continue as full-time drivers; the news puts an end to speculation about the pair's future and clears up one of the main unknowns of the transfer market ahead of the next championship.
"We have no discussion about what the plan is for next season; our drivers were contracted, so we knew there would be no changes. We really never announced what would happen next year because there was no need; we have a lineup that is confirmed and that we are happy with," Binotto explained.
The lack of a formal announcement raised doubts about both drivers' continuity, even though Audi had reported multi-year contracts.
The German team currently occupies eighth place in the constructors' championship with 17 points, distributed between Bortoleto's 10 units and Hülkenberg's 7. A modest haul for a team in its debut season, but one that reflects the potential of a structure that is still in the construction phase.
Binotto highlighted the performance of his two drivers and marked the difference between their profiles: "I am very satisfied; it's a different situation for both. We have an experienced driver, Nico, and a younger driver, Gabi. Nico is performing consistently; when he gets to the race, he shows consistency. He is solid; he makes very few mistakes, always exploits the car's potential, and scores points where there is a need or an opportunity," he stated.
About Bortoleto, the Italian executive was equally praiseworthy: "Gabi is younger; he is in a learning phase. I can see how his confidence grows race after race. You can see he is getting faster and more confident; he hasn't made big mistakes. Overall, he is also consistent; he is certainly exploiting the car's potential," Binotto added. The combination of experience and youth is one of the keys to Audi's bet, which trusts that Bortoleto's progression and Hülkenberg's solidity will allow the team to make a leap in quality in 2027.
With Audi defined, attention now turns to the teams that still need to finalize their lineups; Haas is one of them. Esteban Ocon declared himself "a free agent," and Ayao Komatsu, boss of the American team, assured that the decision will come "in the next two weeks". The Japanese executive explained what he looks for in his drivers: "What we look for is that they have speed, they have to be fast, that's their talent. We can't teach them speed so they have to be fast but they really have to be team players".
Rafael Cámara is widely rumored to join Oliver Bearman, though the lineup has not yet been made official.
Aston Martin also keeps the unknown. Fernando Alonso has a contract until 2026 and has left his continuity open on several occasions: "We are less competitive than the grid, yes, but I don't think that is the critical point for me when making a decision," the Asturian stated. At Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson is the favorite to renew after his good role as a substitute at Red Bull, where he scored 14 points in three races. Laurent Mekies praised him: "He has done an excellent job exceeding our expectations".
Formula 1 published an analysis that places him as the main candidate to keep his seat although the irruption of Nikola Tsolov adds pressure to his continuity.
