Did a social media clue hint at Audi’s big driver market plan?
Has an F1 driver teased a big driver market move?
A clue might have appeared on social media which in🍸dicates what Audi will ༺do in the driver market.
Eagle-eyed F1 fans spotted an Instagram post b𒉰y Valt♏teri Bottas.
“Fun day in California,” Bottas posted alongside a picture of himself wit𒆙h an Audi road car.
The car was embla𝔍zoned with ‘77’ - the racing numbeဣr of Bottas.
A꧟udi will continue running as Sauber next season before their full evolution into the mighty German brand in 2026, when the new F1 rules begin.
But their project has starte🍃d in earnest, w🤡ith Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg already recruited to give the German brand a German driver for 2025 and beyond.
, his favourite 'cheat meal' and a shared love of coffee ☕️— Lewis Larkam (@Lewis_Larkam)Audi have already made big moves off the track, hiring ex-Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Of🍌ficer. Jonathan Wheatley will leave Red Bull to become Audi team principal♊.
Bo🎶ttas has admitted that Binotto’s arrival - and the resulting exit of Andreas Seidl 🧸- will impact his talks to stay next year.
“It is going to reset the talks🍎 a bit,” he admitted.
“It’s a bit of a complicat🐟ed situation, but let’s see.”
But his decision🧔 to post an Audi road car branded by his signature racing number ha💝s intrigued fans who now think Bottas has been chosen as Hulkenberg’s teammate for 2025.
The Audi F1 projec𒊎t has come under c𒆙riticism from several directions.
Missing out on Carlos Sainz, the Ferrari driver who will instead go to Williams next yea🔥r, was labelled a “vote of no confiden🐻ce” in Audi’s vision by Sky Sports’ Craig Slater.
Ex-F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has also insisted that Audi’s choice to set up in Germany rather than th🔯e UK is “fundamentally wrong”.
James was a sports journalist a﷽t Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
