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Ted Kravitz reveals top F1 teams keen on star driver, but he isn’t planning a move

Originally posted on HITC | By Ben Evans | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 4:08 PM ET

Nothing much happened during the 2025 Italian Grand Prix until the final laps, with a controversy surrounding McLaren being the main talking point at Monza.

Nico Hulkenberg was unable to start the race, while Fernando Alonso became the only driver to retire after his suspension gave out early on.

McLaren instructed Oscar Piastri to let Lando Norris back through for second place following a slow pit stop, which became a major talking point after the race.

McLaren’s decisions did not affect Max Verstappen, who pulled away from both drivers and won by 20 seconds. It was his third win of the year and one of his most comfortable drives this season.

Ferrari did not give their home fans much to cheer about either. Charles Leclerc finished just behind George Russell, with Lewis Hamilton in sixth.

Outside of the top six, Alex Albon put in another solid performance for Williams, finishing seventh even though he had not made it out of Q2.

Albon moved ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the drivers’ championship, while Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto followed closely behind, and Isack Hadjar, despite starting from the pit lane, earned the final point at Monza.

Ted Kravitz believes his performance at Monza is attracting interest from other teams in the paddock.

Gabriel Bortoleto drawing interest from top teams after Italian Grand Prix

Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images

Kravitz was discussing Sauber’s weekend on Ted’s Notebook when he said: “Gabriel Bortoleto has underlined his coming star of Formula 1 potential, and all the top teams are interested in him.

“Hulkenberg was a did not start; it was a hydraulic failure, the team could see it on the telemetry, and they decided to, well, they said that they had to box and retire the car because otherwise it’s going to break down.

“It’s going to hurt the engine, and we need that engine for the rest of the season. There was no choice, they had to do it to Nico Hulkenberg.”

Gabriel Bortoleto takes responsibility for his slow pit stop at the Italian Grand Prix

Heading into the race, there was already some talk linking Bortoleto to Ferrari as a possible replacement for Hamilton once he steps away from Formula 1.

McLaren could also be keeping an eye on their former driver, in case something unexpected happens with Piastri or Norris, while Red Bull still have not found the right fit alongside Verstappen.

Sources at F1 Oversteer suggest that Alonso could view Bortoleto as his successor at Aston Martin, should he choose to retire.

Bortoleto is looking forward to representing Audi, and talking about his eighth-place finish at Monza, he said: “We had a very solid race, with good calls and good strategy.

“My pit stop was a bit slow, but I also put this on me, because I possibly arrived a bit too long in the pit box, and it definitely didn’t help.

“Overall, I am happy to have finished eighth and have made it back in the points; this is also important for the constructors’ championship.

“I am obviously hungry for more, but I believe this is the best we could have achieved this weekend – it’s been a consistent, productive one, and a good way to close the European leg of the season.”

Bortoleto’s rookie season has been promising so far. The question now is how long he will stay with Sauber before moving on to bigger opportunities within F1.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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