Sauber announced this Wednesday (6) the Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto, 20, in its team for the 2025 F1 season. The young man will be the team’s starter, a position that has not been occupied by any Brazilian racer in the category since the 2017 World Cup, the last with the presence of Felipe Massa.
The country was even on the grid in 2020 – when Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi, replaced the injured French-Swiss Romain Grosjean in two races, at Haas –, but not with a permanent position. Now, Bortoleto’s place on the Swiss team, which was bought by the German Audi and will be renamed Audi in 2026, belongs to Bortoleto.
“Gabriel has already demonstrated in the youth categories that he has what it takes to be a winning driver. We are delighted that he will become a member of the Sauber and Audi team. Together with Gabriel, we are on a journey towards success and will evolve as a unified force to shape a new era for Audi in motorsport,” said Mattia Binotto, executive at Sauber Motorsport AG.
The São Paulo native is seen as one of the promising talents in motor sports. F3 champion in 2023, he gained an opportunity in F2 in 2024, the main category for access to F1, and did not disappoint. A driver for the Invicta Racing team, which is supported by McLaren, he leads the leaderboard and has already obtained the necessary points for the super license, a type of driving license for the biggest motorsport championship.
His partner at Sauber will be the experienced German Nico Hülkenberg, 37. The 17-year difference between the Brazilian, according to Mattia Binotto, is not a coincidence. “Nico and Gabriel represent the ideal combination of experience and youth, positioning us strongly for the future”, declared the manager.
Gabriel spoke about “growing an ambitious project and reaching the top of motorsport”. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity the team gave me and for the chance to work alongside an experienced driver like Nico,” said the boy, who, like so many others in Brazil in this sport, started karting at the age of seven.
After good results in Brazil, he gained opportunities in Europe, maintained his good level and began competing in “Formula” championships in 2020, initially in the Italian F4. While still a teenager, he also played in the European Formula Regional and aroused interest from F3 teams, a category in which he also had rapid success.
One of its qualities is regularity. Recognized as a driver who makes few mistakes, he claims to have learned a lot from Spaniard Fernando Alonso, two-time world champion who, at 43 years old, is in ninth place in F1 with Aston Martin. Alonso owns A14 Management, the driver agency company that helped bring Gabriel into McLaren’s young talent program last year.
“He always made it clear that I had to score and that I had to be consistent. That’s something you see in him to this day,” the Brazilian told Sheetin 2023, when he was approaching the F3 title. “Often, you don’t need to win a race, but always be in the top 5, so a leader can maintain his advantage. That’s what I’ve done this entire year.”
This is also how he took the lead in F2 this year, always with consistency. This does not mean that the São Paulo native is not capable of aggressive races, such as the one he performed in September, at the Monza stage, in Italy: he started from 22nd and last place to achieve a great victory.
“Dominant”, praised mentor Alonso. “Unbelievable! From last to first place. The perfect demonstration of the exceptional talent that Gabriel has! We are proud of you”, published McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
McLaren now sees the boy spread his wings and try his luck in F1. Shortly after Sauber’s announcement, it confirmed that Bortoleto will be released from its development program at the end of the 2024 season and wished him luck: “All the best, Gabriel.”
