Bernie Ecclestone and Fabiana Flosi helped Gabriel Bortoleto secure Audi-Sauber F1 seat. Gabriel Bortoleto in Audi-Sauber thanks to Bernie Ecclestone and Fabiana Flosi.

Gabriel Bortoleto in Audi-Sauber
There may be Bernie Ecclestone and his wife Fabiana Flosi behind Sauber’s choice to sign Gabriel Bortoleto for the 2025 Formula 1 season. The young Brazilian talent, who won F3 on debut in 2023 and is currently leading the F2 standings with two races to go, was officially announced last week following a long head-to-head with Valtteri Bottas and Franco Colapinto. In the end, the decision by the team led by Mattia Binotto fell on the 20-year-old from São Paulo, especially after receiving clearance from McLaren, the team that had contracted Gabriel Bortoleto as the flagship of its Academy.

Who is Fabiana Ecclestone
It was initially Fabiana Flosi who revealed the Ecclestone family’s assistance, as she is Brazilian like Gabriel Bortoleto and married the former Grand Prix circus supremo in 2012: “Gabriel Bortoleto’s father thanked us for helping bring his son Gabriel to Audi-Sauber. We opened a few doors for him,” she admitted to the Swiss newspaper Blick. Flosi is a former model and lawyer who served as Formula 1’s deputy marketing director, where she met her future husband. She became FIA vice-president for sport after Mohammed Ben Sulayem took the helm of the International Federation.

Bernie Ecclestone confirms Qatar’s interest in the Audi F1 team
Bernie Ecclestone has been living with his family on a coffee plantation in Brazil for some time, and it is probably here that he came into contact with the Gabriel Bortoleto family’s aspirations: “The important thing for him now is to find an apartment near the Sauber factory,” he added. The 94-year-old British businessman also confirmed the existence of interest from the Qatari sovereign fund in acquiring a stake in the team (which is formally denied for the moment), recently purchased 100% by Audi: “I have always told Peter Sauber that Switzerland is an island for Formula 1, but I have admired his perseverance. Now Audi is arriving, but given the current situation, I know the Germans are not too unhappy that some people from Qatar are showing interest in the project and want to get involved.”