Gabriel Bortoleto took time to find his feet following his promotion to F1 after taking the F2 title in the previous season. It took him until round 11 in Austria to score his first points for Sauber, but he has taken off since, scoring in two of the next three races. The Brazilian now sits in seventeenth in the championship on 17 points, but is one of the form drivers on the grid.
The 20-year-old has received high praise from many high-ranking drivers, including two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. Bortoleto is part of Alonso’s management company A14, and the Spaniard has claimed that Bortoleto might be the best rookie currently on the grid.
Fernando Alonso full of praise for rookie Gabriel Bortoleto
Gabriel Bortoleto was one of six rookies to join the F1 grid for the 2025 season. While it has taken him time to get up and running, the Brazilian is now showing his true pace. The 20-year-old recorded his best finish of the season at the Hungarian GP, crossing the line in sixth, a result lauded by veteran Fernando Alonso.
Speaking after the race to DAZN, Alonso said: “If he were English or something, and finished 6th in a Sauber, he’d be a headline in all the news outlets. It’s exceptional what he does, so hopefully people see it.”
Fernando Alonso Names the Young Driver Who Will Outshine His F1 Peers in the Long Run
The Spaniard added, “He always pushes, never makes mistakes. He’s always there, putting pressure on you. The best rookie of this generation, I always say it. He proved it last year with equal cars.”
Sauber was the slowest car on the grid until round nine in Barcelona, meaning Bortoleto couldn’t show his pace. However, the major upgrade package pushed Sauber forward, and Bortoleto began to shine. He has now scored in three of the last four races and is one of the form drivers on the grid.
Is Gabriel Bortoleto a star for the future?
Gabriel Bortoleto arrived in F1 with high stock after winning the F3 and F2 championships back to back, joining the likes of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc to have done so. Sauber management has faith in the youngster as they signed him to a ‘multi-year’ deal, one of the few rookies to receive that offer.
His quick rise through the junior categories shows how quickly he can adapt to the cars he is driving. When Sauber was slow at the beginning of the season, people barely mentioned his name. Now he is fighting for and scoring points, people are seeing his potential. he is now showing the consistency needed to remain in F1.
Bortoleto has shown flashes of pace throughout the season and is now scoring points to go along with his performances. With praise coming his way from Alonso and four-time world champion Max Verstappen, he looks to have a promising future. The former McLaren junior needs to keep performing at the top of his game to show the F1 world what he can do.
