George Russell sends farewell message to outgoing Sauber driver after his departure was announced by the team

Mercedes driver George Russell recently sent a farewell message to Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu, who will be departing from the team at the end of the 2024 F1 season. The Swiss-based team has decided to let go of the Chinese driver and come up with a brand new driver lineup for the 2025 F1 season.

Ever since the team hired Nico Hulkenberg as their permanent driver earlier this year, questions were raised about the existing driver who could be replaced by the German. This was because Sauber did not announce whether Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu would be replaced.

Gradually, rumors grew that the team might go for a completely fresh driver lineup, removing both Bottas and Zhou from the roster. Most recently, it was officially announced that both will be leaving the team. Sauber's new roster will consist of Nico Hulkenberg and F2 driver Gabriel Bortoleto.

Zhou Guanyu posted an official statement on his Instagram account, confirming his departure from his side. The Chinese driver was grateful to represent his country in F1 and thanked all the fans and team members. He then wrote that he was looking for options to remain in the F1 paddock.

"I will be leaving the Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber at the end of the 2024 season. I would like to thank all of the fans for their continued support. You have been fantastic, and you continue to inspire me. I am immensely proud to represent my country as the first ever Chinese Formula 1 driver," Zhou wrote.

"I am positive about the future, and I am now totally focused on making sure that I can truly show what I am capable of. I'm now discussing a number of options to stay in the Formula 1 Paddock, will update to you all soon," he added.

Mercedes star George Russell was one of the current F1 drivers who commented on Zhou's statement. He simply wished the Chinese driver well in his future endeavors with four words:

"All the best mate"

Russell was one of the first F1 drivers to publicly bid farewell to Zhou Guanyu after his exit from the Swiss team.

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Sauber signs Gabriel Bortoleto as Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas exit the team

Soon after Sauber announced that they would be parting ways with Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, they announced their second driver for the 2025 F1 season, Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian F2 driver was recently promoted to F1 through the Swiss team after Audi signed him from McLaren.

Bortoleto gave his initial thoughts about joining Sauber and praised their future project with Audi in 2026. In an official statement from the team, he said:

“This is one of the most exciting projects in motorsport, if not in all of sports. Joining a team that combines the rich motorsport history of Sauber and Audi is a true honour. Beyond simply being a member, I aim to grow with this ambitious project and reach the pinnacle of motorsport."

Gabriel Bortoleto has performed great in F1's feeder series in the past; he won the F3 championship in 2023 and currently leads the F2 championship in 2024 with 169 points and is set to win the title if he continues to dominate.