Sauber has signed 20-year-old Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto to make his debut in Formula 1 next year as Nico Hülkenberg’s teammate.

The decision means that Sauber’s current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are without an F1 seat for 2025. Neither has scored a point all season and Sauber’s car has been largely uncompetitive.

Signing Bortoleto, who leads the Formula 2 standings with two rounds to go, gives Sauber a blend of youth and experience alongside the 37-year-old Hülkenberg. German automaker Audi is taking over Sauber, which will be rebranded as the Audi works team for 2026.

“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 honor,” Bortoleto said in a statement.

Bortoleto, who won the F3 championship last season, began racing in karting as a kid before his family moved to Europe. He is the first full-time Brazilian driver in F1 since Felipe Massa retired in 2017. Pietro Fittipaldi did two races in 2020 as an injury replacement.

NFL

Panthers Young will start a second consecutive game >> Bryce Young will remain Carolina’s starting quarterback, even as his long-term future with the Panthers remains murky.

Panthers coach Dave Canales made the announcement following Wednesday’s practice that Young will make his third straight start on Sunday in Munich, Germany, against the New York Giants.

Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, led Carolina to a come-from-behind 23-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday — his first win since last December — to improve to 3-17 as an NFL starter.

Jaguars sign Beathard with QB injuries >> An injury to Trevor Lawrence’s non-throwing shoulder prompted the Jacksonville Jaguars to bring back veteran backup C.J. Beathard.

The Jaguars (2-7) signed Beathard off Miami’s practice squad Wednesday to “give us assurance” in case Lawrence can’t play against Minnesota (6-2), coach Doug Pederson said.

Pederson said Lawrence will be limited in practice Wednesday. Mac Jones remains the backup, and Beathard is the third option. The trio spent the offseason together before Beathard injured his groin in the preseason and was released.

Soccer

Judge rules Mendy entitled to majority of his claim against former club>> Manchester City must pay former player Benjamin Mendy the majority of his 11-million-pound ($14.15 million) claim for unpaid wages that were withheld after he was charged with sex offences, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Mendy took Premier League champion City to a two-day employment tribunal in Manchester, claiming the club wrongly stopped his salary after he was charged and remanded into custody in August 2021.

Mendy was cleared by a jury of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four young women or teenagers, following a six-month trial. Jurors failed to reach verdicts on two counts, of rape and attempted rape, leading to a retrial, during which he was found not guilty.

Champions League results >> A strange penalty for handball ended Aston Villa’s winning run in the Champions League as the English team lost 1-0 at Club Brugge.

In the other early game, Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Heorhiy Sudakov had a fine assist and an even better goal in a 2-1 win for the Ukrainian champion against Young Boys.

Inter Milan stifled Arsenal in a 1-0 win at San Siro sealed by Hakan Çalhanoglu’s penalty in first-half stoppage time.

Inter is unbeaten on 10 points and in fifth place, one below Brest which won 2-1 at Sparta Prague. The French debutant looks sure to advance to the knockout phase starting in February.

Paris Saint-Germain, in its first season without Kylian Mbappe, trails far behind in 25th after Atletico Madrid scored in stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win for the Spanish team at Parc des Princes.

Barcelona’s blistering scoring form continued in a 5-2 win at Red Star Belgrade — a seventh straight win since the start of October at a rate of four goals per game. Robert Lewandowski scored twice and has 21 this season.

Baseball

Free Agent Bregman has surgery >> Third baseman Alex Bregman had surgery to remove a bone chip from his right elbow.

“He’s had his procedure. He’s going to be back swinging here in a few weeks, so he’s all through that process,” Boras said.

Bregman became a free agent last Thursday, after the expiration of a $100 million, five-year deal agreed to in March 2019 that covered 2020-24. The 30-year-old hit .260 with 26 homers and 75 RBIs and has a .272 career average with 191 homers and 663 RBIs in nine big league seasons, all with the Astros.

Padres Extend Manager >> San Diego manager Mike Shildt and the Padres agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2027 season, the team announced Wednesday.

Shildt was hired in November 2023 and given a two-year deal.

San Diego went 93-69 this season, finishing second in the NL West, five games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tennis

WTA Finals results >> Zheng Qinwen cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Jasmine Paolini to reach the semifinals of the WTA Finals.

Zheng needed just over an hour to defeat Paolini in the match that decided the final qualifier from the Purple Group at the season-ending tournament for the top eight women’s players.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who had won her first two matches to clinch a semifinal spot, lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to No. 5 Elena Rybakina. It was Rybakina’s first win of the round-robin phase.

It was Zheng’s fourth win in as many matches against Paolini. The 22-year-old Chinese player had 12 aces and broke the Italian’s serve five times.

Jessica Pegula withdrew from her last match at the tournament because of a left knee injury. The American, who lost her first two matches and was already eliminated from semifinal contention, will be replaced in the Orange Group by first alternate and ninth-ranked Daria Kasatkina.