Felipe Massa compares Gabriel Bortoleto to Max Verstappen: “Fast and aggressive driving style”. Felipe Massa's comments went beyond a straightforward assessment of Gabriel Bortoleto's characteristics.

Ready for His Debut
The 2025 Formula 1 season will mark the debut of Gabriel Bortoleto, a driver entering the sport with high expectations. Over the past two years, the former member of the McLaren Young Driver Programme secured both the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles as a rookie. These achievements earned the 20-year-old from São Paulo a swift promotion to Sauber, where he will race alongside the more experienced Nico Hülkenberg.

Felipe Massa Speaks
What impressions has Gabriel Bortoleto left on former Brazilian drivers? This question was posed to Felipe Massa, the 2008 world championship runner-up, who shared glowing praise for the young talent: “I can already conclude that he is a very fast and talented driver,” Felipe Massa stated. “He shows great qualities: his overtakes are particularly impressive. He’s more aggressive than other drivers, and his speed is equally remarkable.” – the former Ferrari driver pointed out.

Felipe Massa’s comments went beyond a straightforward assessment of Gabriel Bortoleto’s characteristics, drawing comparisons to none other than reigning world champion Max Verstappen: “He’s also made some mistakes, hasn’t he?” Felipe Massa added. “But that happens when you have such an aggressive and fast driving style. We’ve already seen this with Max Verstappen, for example.” – the former Formula 1 driver concluded.