This F1 season, we welcome five promising rookies to the grid. In the ‘Meet the F1 Rookies’ section, we introduce these young debutants who have been brought to the pinnacle of motorsport with high expectations. This time, it’s the turn of Gabriel Bortoleto, the 20-year-old Brazilian who is following in the footsteps of several Formula 1 greats.
In November, it was announced that the Sauber team, with an eye on the takeover by Audi, would opt for a completely new line-up in 2025. Formula 1 veteran Nico Hülkenberg was brought to Hinwil early on, and in the aftermath of the Brazilian GP, it was announced that he would be joined by Gabriel Bortoleto. The young driver, trained by the McLaren team, would become champion in Formula 2 a few weeks later. In 2025, he will make his debut in the premier class and will become the first full-time Formula 1 driver from Brazil since Felipe Massa. This also places him in an illustrious list of national heroes; think of Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, and Rubens Barrichello.
Who is Gabriel Bortoleto?
Gabriel Lourenzo Bortoleto Oliveira – as he is actually called – was born in São Paulo in 2004. At the age of six, inspired by his great hero Ayrton Senna, he first stepped into a kart. Young Gabriel quickly made a name for himself on four wheels. At the age of twelve, he moved with his entire family to Europe, hoping to make his Formula 1 dreams come true. In 2020, he took the first step in so-called open-wheel racing during his debut in the Italian Formula 4. He finished fifth in the championship, but was given the opportunity to move up to FRECA.”The more powerful Formula 3 cars proved to be a challenge for the young driver. At Fernando Alonso‘s FA Racing team, Gabriel Bortoleto only managed to secure the fifteenth place in the championship. In his second season, he switched to the more competitive R-ace GP. Thanks to two victories in Spa and Barcelona, he finished sixth and moved up to Formula 3 with the renowned Trident Motorsport.
In the 2023 Formula 3 season, Gabriel Bortoleto was one of the underdogs. With competitors like Paul Aron, Zak O’Sullivan, and Franco Colapinto, the Brazilian was not exactly the favorite for the title. To everyone’s surprise, he won the opening race in Bahrain and the subsequent race in Melbourne. Throughout the rest of the season, he managed to maintain his lead in the championship, although he did not win any more races. With a Formula 3 championship under his belt, he made his debut in Formula 2 with Invicta in 2024.
(Text continues below image)”
McLaren Training Program
In the lead-up to his debut with Invicta, Gabriel Bortoleto secured a spot in McLaren’s training program. Over the past year, the British team prepared him for promotion to the premier class. In Formula 2, he was once again successful; after a heated title fight with Racing Bulls debutant Isack Hadjar, he won the championship with a lead of 22.5 points. His most impressive performance was the comeback race in Italy – the young Brazilian won from the twenty-second spot on the grid.
Thanks in part to his successful stints in Formula 2 and Formula 3, expectations are high for the 20-year-old driver. Particularly, Brazilian fans are hoping to see Bortoleto quickly advance to the forefront of Formula 1. According to his predecessor, Felipe Massa, he is cut from the same cloth as reigning world champion Max Verstappen. Both are said to have an ‘aggressive’ driving style, characteristic of top-tier drivers. “Especially his overtaking maneuvers are impressive,” the veteran said during the race weekend in São Paulo. “He is more aggressive than other drivers, and his speed is also impressive.” Will Bortoleto live up to the expectations? Only time will tell.
