Gabriel Bortoleto on his road to F1 and the champions who helped him get there

Formula 1 drivers tend to look forward, with a laser focus on what they can do better to cement the place on the grid they have worked towards for so long.

An appreciation for what they have already achieved often comes later, sometimes only after their careers have ended. Gabriel Bortoleto is a wonderful exception. Aged 20, his youth shines through but is paired with thoughtful insight and observations that bely his tender age.

There certainly is a lot to reflect on, as it is hard to overstate just how much Bortoleto’s life has changed over the past two years. Just 24 months ago, the Brazilian was yet to win a single-seater title, while on his way to break his duck in the 2023 FIA F3 championship.

That success at Monza helped transform the former McLaren junior’s career, making an equally successful step up to F2 – which he won at the first time of asking last year – and made him an attractive enough proposition for Sauber to pry him loose from the papaya team.

Bortoleto, along with F2 title rival Isack Hadjar, flew somewhat under the radar amid F1 2025’s oversized rookie class, with a lot of eyeballs on Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement Andrea Kimi Antonelli and outstanding Ferrari cameo driver Oliver Bearman.

Hadjar soon drew plaudits with his immediate form, and Bortoleto has now also had the opportunity to prove himself with a much improved Sauber. But while he has set his sights on much loftier targets than sixth at the Hungarian Grand Prix, he has not forgotten how fortunate he is to be here.

“I am a happy guy, grateful for what I am experiencing and the opportunities I have had,” Bortoleto told Motorsport.com.

“I have several friends who are fully capable of deserving a chance in Formula 1, talented guys who would do anything to be in the position I am in today, and that is something I often think about. It drives me to work hard, to give my all in everything I do to make the most of the opportunity I have been given.”

“The only thing to do was to roll up my sleeves”

Aged 12, Bortoleto traded his native Brazil for Desenzano sul Garda in Italy, where he enjoyed a successful karting career before moving towards single-seaters. But it was a journey not without obstacles.

“There were difficult moments,” he said. “In 2022 (the year Bortoleto competed in his second season in Formula Regional), I had several problems with the engines, but these are issues that are not made public.

“On that occasion, I realised that the only thing to do was to roll up my sleeves and try to make up ground where possible. There was no point in making excuses, and today, looking back, I realise that that situation made me a stronger driver and a stronger person. I put all my energy into the aspects I could improve, I had to gain tenths where possible, and I think I grew. I had confirmation of this when the technical problems were resolved.

“Once everything was sorted out, I started winning, and the end of the season was very good. But the most important confirmation came during my first ever test at the wheel of a Formula 3 single-seater. I went to Jerez with the Trident team. I had never driven a car with that kind of power before, and I found myself in the lead with a half-second advantage over my closest rival. 

“Everything came naturally, from the feeling with the car to the relationship with the engineers, and that day I realised that I could do very well, which is what happened the following season when I won the title.”

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

The year 2022 was also a key turning point off-track, with the arrival of two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso and his A14 management team.

“Fernando came on board in mid-2022 and it was a very important step, a great added value. In 2023, I arrived in Formula 3 and raced in Formula 1 weekends for the first time. When I entered the circuit for the first time, I realised that I would be racing under the eyes of all the major Formula 1 teams, so I asked Fernando for lots of advice on how to manage the race weekend, the pressure, the expectations, and many other things.

“One might think that someone as busy as Alonso wouldn’t have time, but I can confirm that he always found it, perhaps sacrificing his breaks, and I find his willingness to help very admirable and, of course, a great added value.”

At the end of the day, there is no substitute for winning to speed up a career trajectory. Suddenly, Bortoleto became one of the young drivers F1 teams were starting to notice, including one of the sport’s juggernauts.

“After getting off to a great start in 2023, winning the first two feature races, one day I received a phone call from Emanuele Pirro,” said Bortoleto. “I had worked in F4 with his son Goffredo, who was my engineer, but I had never had the opportunity to meet Emanuele and I was not even aware of the role he had at McLaren at the time, as head of the young driver programme.

“I remember the phone call well and I was really surprised. Emanuele proved to be a great person. It took a while to prepare the contract, but in the end, I was the first driver to officially join the programme.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, Andrea Stella, McLaren, Emanuele Pirro, Director, McLaren Driver Development programme

Photo by: McLaren

With his rapid rise to the top of F2, Bortoleto even caught McLaren off guard. At the end of 2024, it suddenly had the new F2 champion in its ranks without being able to guarantee him a future in the short or even medium term.

“McLaren has always been very transparent with me, they made it clear that they would not be an obstacle if I had an opportunity to race in F1,” revealed Bortoleto.

“After my victory in F2, they didn’t have a seat available, Oscar [Piastri] and Lando [Norris] are young, very strong and have long-term contracts. So when they heard about this opportunity at Sauber, they kept their word and released me.”

“When I saw Nico lift the trophy, I said to myself, ‘Okay, I want to be there too’”

Bortoleto has a shrewd signing from Sauber boss Mattia Binotto, who is paving the way for Audi’s official arrival in 2026. Just like the squad is preparing that transformation behind the scenes, Bortoleto is afforded a year of adaptation in 2025, with lower pressure and muted expectations, before being expected to fire on all cylinders in the news regulations era.

In theory it’s the ideal scenario for a rookie, which Mercedes also applied with Antonelli. But a sluggish start to the 2025 season made it difficult for Bortoleto to build any sort of momentum, as Sauber was long chasing its first points of the season with a tricky car.

“The start of the championship was not easy,” he said. “Within the team, my contribution has always been judged positively, but coming from two championship wins, finding myself fighting at the bottom of the standings was mentally difficult to accept. Ambition is always difficult to control, but then, race after race, the situation improved a lot and I found myself in the top 10, which was a great feeling.

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

“Compared to the start of the season, we’ve made a big leap forward. There were times when we were at the back of the grid, but now the situation has definitely improved. Maybe it won’t be possible to aim for points at every track, but I think we’ll be in contention at most of them.”

A first string of positive results for Sauber also brought out Bortoleto’s personality, as he was one of the biggest cheerleaders for team-mate Nico Hulkenberg’s long-awaited maiden F1 podium at the British Grand Prix. It’s safe to say the pair struck up a harmonious working relationship despite their 17-year age gap.

“Nico is a great person and a great driver. When he crossed the finish line in third place at Silverstone, it was very emotional,” Bortoleto explained.

“He is helping me a lot. I have learned and continue to learn a lot from him, and when you have a good relationship with someone, I think it comes naturally to share some of their joy, so it felt natural to go under the podium to celebrate with him.

“He had a great race, made the right decisions, and achieved a well-deserved result, and I wanted to be there at that moment to celebrate him. When I saw Nico lift the trophy, I said to myself, ‘Okay, I’ll give it my all, I want to be there too’. That image motivated me.”

“Max Verstappen has helped me a lot in my first F3 season. We meet online, we play and discuss a bit of everything”

The character-building 2022 campaign helped shape Bortoleto’s character. Out of all the 2025 rookies, he arrived at the start with the fewest kilometers of testing under his belt, by far, but it’s never something he will bring up voluntarily as an excuse.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

But he does reveal the real extent of his early handicap when we ask about it. “On the eve of this season, I drove half a day with McLaren in a test they gave me after the victory at Monza and in the post-season tests at Yas Marina when I was already a Sauber driver,” he said.

“Then this year, the number of TPC [testing of a previous car] kilometres was limited. I did a test, but it was raining that day. Let’s say that overall, I started the season with two days of testing. If I had had more kilometres under my belt, I would have been more prepared, but in my case, it was the same in F2 and F3. In the end, there are no excuses; you have to do the best with what you have available.”

Fans also discovered his friendship with another multiple world champion: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. When they meet in the paddock, there is always time for a hug and a chat. During the drivers’ parade on Sunday, the two are often together and there is no shortage of banter between the pair.

“A friendship was born thanks to our shared passion for virtual racing and simulators,” said Bortoleto. “We started in early 2023, I was in my first F3 season and Max helped me a lot with the simulator, suggesting what to try, changes to make and so on. We meet online, him at his house, me at mine, we play, we discuss a bit of everything.”

Another unique aspect of Bortoleto’s approach is the limited entourage he brings to race weekends. Usually, he is just accompanied by his performance coach and manager. The rest of his inner circle only rarely makes an appearance.

“My parents would really like to follow me to the races, but they are very busy in Brazil,” he said. “My father manages the Stock Car championship and has a lot to do. Rubens (Barrichello), Felipe (Massa), and many other drivers race in the series.

Rubens Barrichello

Photo by: Motorsport Images

“My father has always been a huge fan, but when he was young he didn’t have much money, so he started from scratch. When the grand prix was held at Interlagos, he helped VIPs get out of helicopters and accompanied them to the paddock entrance.

“It was a way for him to be at the race track, since he couldn’t afford a grandstand ticket. He passed on his passion to me, and we took our first steps in karting. We had a dream that seemed unattainable, but now his son races in Formula 1, and I hope he can come to the track for the first time soon.”

Following the example of Verstappen and many other peers, Bortoleto has said goodbye to Milan (leaving his home to Ferrari junior and F3 champion Rafael Camara) to make the move to Monaco. Not that he has spent much time in his apartment yet.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much free time,” revealed Bortoleto. “In addition to traveling for race weekends, I like to spend time with the team at their headquarters in Hinwil. I think it’s important, especially when you’re a rookie and have a lot to learn and aspects to familiarise yourself with.”

Meanwhile, Bortoleto is also playing his part as Hinwil integrates Audi into the fold and transitions to being a works outfit once again, 16 years on from the BMW era that yielded its only win.

“It’s difficult, if not impossible, to make predictions,” he shrugged. “We won’t know where we’ll be until we start racing on the track, but we have to be ready to fight for podiums or points.”

The road ahead is long for both Bortoleto and Sauber/Audi, and the 20-year old isn’t taking his presence on the highly exclusive starting grid for granted. But after being the least hyped rookie of the class of 2025, claiming three points finishes in four races means his F1 career is now fully up and running.