Outstanding qualifying performance for the young Brazilian
Gabriel Bortoleto delivered a truly exceptional performance during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, guiding his Kick Sauber car to an impressive seventh position on the starting grid. In a thrilling Q3 session, the Brazilian rookie managed to edge out three-time World Champion Max Verstappen by just three thousandths of a second.
This result marks a significant milestone for Gabriel Bortoleto, who continues to demonstrate rapid growth and maturity in only his first season in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. For the second consecutive race weekend, he convincingly outperformed his more experienced teammate Nico Hülkenberg in single-lap pace. The German driver was unable to make it past the first qualifying session (Q1), falling at the first hurdle while Bortoleto surged ahead.
Speaking after the session, Bortoleto expressed both joy and pride for what he and the team had accomplished.
“I’m incredibly happy,” said Gabriel Bortoleto. “After a difficult start to the weekend, when we were lacking both pace and confidence in the car, the entire team worked very hard to solve the problems that were affecting our performance. We made significant progress, and that allowed us to push harder when it really mattered. Securing a spot in Q3 and finishing in seventh place—my best result so far in Formula 1—is a major achievement for me personally and for the team as a whole.”
The Brazilian rookie emphasized that his focus remains on learning and improving throughout his debut season:
“This year is all about learning, as is expected in a rookie campaign. Every session is an opportunity to grow, and I couldn’t do that without the fantastic team around me. They encourage me, they support me, and together we’re making real steps forward. Now the goal is to turn all of this positive momentum into a strong race result.”
Mixed emotions for Hülkenberg after early exit
While Bortoleto celebrated a breakthrough qualifying performance, teammate Nico Hülkenberg was left frustrated after a disappointing result in Q1. The German driver had shown promising pace during the free practice sessions, but when it mattered most in qualifying, things did not go as expected.
“There’s no denying that this qualifying result is disappointing,” admitted Nico Hülkenberg. “Especially considering how competitive the car felt throughout the free practice sessions. The balance was really encouraging, and in FP3 I was able to push with a lot of confidence. But once we got into Q1, the car’s behavior changed significantly. In the high-speed corners, I had no grip at the rear, which made it extremely difficult to extract performance.”
The experienced German highlighted the need for a thorough analysis to understand what went wrong:
“We need to dig into the data and figure out what changed between FP3 and qualifying. The team has made solid progress recently, and the overall feeling in the car has generally been positive, so it’s important that we fully understand this issue. We need to make the right strategic choices in the race to recover as much as possible.”
Together, the results reflect the mixed fortunes within the Sauber team—but with Bortoleto continuing to rise and Hülkenberg aiming to bounce back, all eyes will be on how both drivers fare during the race at the Hungaroring.
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