After a year with no changes in the driver field – barring the interim promotions of Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson – 2025 is set to bring significant changes. Notably, four young talents are making their debut. Gabriel Bortoleto is the latest rookie to progress to Formula 1 next season. How is he preparing for this leap?
It was a unique occurrence in the long history of Formula 1; between 2023 and 2024, no changes were made to the driver field. All ten teams relied on their familiar line-up. However, 2025 is set to be different. As many as four rookies are making their debut next year, from the young Andrea Kimi Antonelli to the now well-known Oliver Bearman. Gabriel Bortoleto, currently active in Formula 2, is also being promoted. He will join Sauber alongside Nico Hülkenberg.
‘From the Gym to the Simulator’
Bortoleto was recently a guest on the F1 Nation podcast. There, he discussed his upcoming debut in Formula 1 and his preparation as the prospective Sauber rookie. “I spend a lot of time preparing in the simulator, especially when I’m at home,” he explained. “Sometimes I spend seven to eight hours in the simulator. To be honest, there’s not much else I can do. I go to the gym and I spend time in the simulator.
How much does a driver actually learn from a simulation? “I’m not sure if it necessarily affects my skills,” says the 20-year-old Brazilian. “But if you do this every day of your life, you would think it should make a difference on the track. If you find yourself in a racing situation that you’ve already seen a hundred times at home in the simulator, you automatically respond better – you don’t even think about it anymore.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Jack Doohan, Oliver Bearman, and Gabriel Bortoleto, all rookies who will debut in Formula 1 next year.
