Gabriel Bortoleto revealed that reigning World Champion Max Verstappen has become a close confidante to the rookie driver after taking him under his wing. Bortoleto, managed by Fernando Alonso, has had a successful debut in Formula 1, showing promise for his future in the sport.
Earlier in the season, the Sauber driver explained how Verstappen had helped him break into F1, speaking with teams to try and find a place for Bortoleto. It seems to have paid off, and Bortoleto is now a contender for Rookie of the Year after a stellar performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he finished sixth.
Gabriel Bortoleto has out-qualified teammate Hulkenberg
Bortoleto has been keen to replicate Verstappen’s pace over one lap, having won back-to-back Championships in Formula 3 and Formula 2. So far this season, he has out-qualified his teammate Nico Hulkenberg 8-6. Sky Sports F1 pundits revealed at the Dutch Grand Prix just how Verstappen’s advice has been helping the rookie driver.
👀| Fernando Alonso has hinted that Gabriel Bortoleto could very well outshine everyone in the field, himself included!😅
“He won Formula 3 as a rookie, he won Formula 2 as a rookie. No testing with older version of cars, no TPC [Testing with Previous Cars] programs, no… pic.twitter.com/RZlnG8vcgX
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 21, 2025
Rachael Brookes, presenter and reporter for Sky Sports F1, said: “He’s very good friends with Max, and they actually sim race and will race circuits before the race weekend. He’ll get pointers from him.
“Max will help him and say to ‘try this, do that. When it comes to the race, he’ll give him pointers for the weekend ahead.”
Bortoleto has a particularly iconic support system around him, with Alonso and Verstappen both backing him.
Bortoleto revealed how Verstappen helped him get his place at Sauber
Speaking to the media earlier in the season, the rookie driver explained just how impactful Verstappen’s influence had been.
Bortoleto said, “Jonathan [Wheatley] told me that even before I joined Sauber-Audi, Max was very positive about me.
“I know Max doesn’t usually talk about this himself, especially in front of the media, but it’s something he helped me with: talking about me to people in F1. I was getting good results, and he wanted to help me.”
‘He’s the Greatest’ – Gabriel Bortoleto Makes Bold Comparison Between Max Verstappen and an F1 Icon
Jonathan Wheatley is the Team Principal at Kick-Sauber, taking on the role at the start of the 2025 season. Having served as Sporting Director at Red Bull during the era of Verstappen’s dominance, it is clear that the Dutchman was able to use his connection here for good.
Bortoleto is currently 17th in the Drivers’ World Championship, sitting four points ahead of Verstappen’s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, who has struggled in the second Red Bull seat. Considering his success rate in the feeder Formula’s, and his relationship with Verstappen, could we see the rookie joining the Red Bull family?
