The second Stake F1 seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg is one of two remaining drives available for 2025, as the team prepares to transition into Audi at the end of that season.

The other, at RB, is broadly expected to go to Liam Lawson. However, the pool at Stake is considerably more saturated.

Whilst the New Zealander was a touted option for a time before the likelihood of him staying within the Red Bull family solidified, there are still five candidates being linked to the seat at the former Sauber entry.

Unsurprisingly, both incumbent drivers are still in the mix, but not without their caveats.

Valtteri Bottas is pushing for a two-year deal, something the team is seemingly hesitant to offer and is rumoured to be unwilling to sign for just 2025.

Zhou Guanyu, meanwhile, is open to a single-year extension, but is believed to all but be out of the running for the seat – which F1 fans do not buy into, according to a recent poll by RacingNews365.

Out of 2405 respondents, a plurality of over 45% think the Chinese driver will hold out and retain his seat.

German driver Mick Schumacher, who remains popular, is neck-and-neck with Bottas in the poll, but little consideration has been paid to the two rookie prospects in the field.

Although increasingly in frame for the drive, Sauber junior and 2023 F2 champion Theo Pourchaire, and Gabriel Bortotelo, who stands a chance at going back-to-back with the FIA F3 and F2 championships, account for little more than 10% of all votes cast.

According to F1 fans, the two young hopefuls are less likely to secure the seat than other, non-specified options.