Awaiting Gabriel Bortoleto
At a time when Formula 1 is in a break after three consecutive race weekends in America, the driver receiving significant attention is Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto. Currently competing in the Formula 2 championship after a successful rookie season in Formula 3 last year, the 20-year-old Brazilian has meanwhile been announced as the future teammate of Nico Hülkenberg at Sauber for 2025, marking his debut season as an official F1 driver.
Growth at McLaren
A step up to the highest level in motorsport, which adds fresh young talent to Formula 1, following Liam Lawson’s return and the anticipation for the full debuts of Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli from Bologna. This debut will come after Gabriel Bortoleto’s development in the McLaren Young Driver Programme, which was led by Emanuele Pirro, a five-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner.
Emanuele Pirro’s view on Gabriel Bortoleto’s qualities
It was Emanuele Pirro himself who opened Woking’s doors to the young Brazilian during his tenure as head of the English team’s academy (from 2023 to March 2024), as he revealed in an interview for the Italian daily newspaper *Corriere dello Sport*: “I knew Gabriel because in 2021, when he was racing in Formula 4 with Prema, my son Goffredo was his race engineer. He had told me about this young, quick, intelligent, polite driver who was also a good person, so I wanted to meet him. We connected right away, to the point that when Gabriel came to race at Vallelunga, he would stay at our house. He has great qualities: race vision, the ability to self-criticize, knowledge of his limits, commitment, eagerness to test himself, and the skill to analyze and learn from his mistakes.” – the Italian racing driver pointed out.
Room for Improvement
These qualities have been confirmed in recent seasons, and Emanuele Pirro praised Sauber for the choice they made for the upcoming championship: “Technically, he was initially not very prepared, but he has made great progress in recent years,” he added. “Being analytical, self-critical, and learning from one’s mistakes without repeating them points to a wide margin for improvement. By taking Bortoleto from McLaren, where he had no openings, Sauber/Audi made an excellent acquisition.”
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