The latest addition to the 2025 Formula 1 grid, Gabriel Bortoleto, spoke on the latest episode of the podcast F1 Nation, covering a wide range of topics surrounding his career up to now, and his relationship with Fernando Alonso.
But, most importantly, how he managed to move up from Formula 3 to the top championship back-to-back-to-back in only three seasons.
“It feels amazing. It’s like a dream since I’m very young. You know, I started racing with the dream to reach F1 one day.
“And now, being able to sign this contract and to be in the grid in 2025, it’s very grateful. And I’m looking forward to it.”
Asked about the circumstances which led to his signing, Bortoleto explained that, in spite of the fact that there had been talks for quite a while, Sauber made the ultimate decision only recently.
“Yes, it did. Obviously, we had been talking for a couple of months already.
“What was going to happen, if it was going to happen in 26 or in 25. But I think the 25 news came not so long ago.
“And it feels very good because I didn’t want to stay one year without driving.
“And now being able to continue the momentum of driving F3, F2 and going to F1 next year. I think it’s the best way to do it,” the Formula 2 championship leader added.
A little over one year ago the Brazilian driver had joined the McLaren Driver Development programme after winning the Formula 3 title in his rookie season.
It’s why in the next step of the feeder series ladder in Formula 2 he has been sporting the distinctive papaya livery.
He has also had the chance to test Formula 1 machinery as he drove the MCL36 at the Red Bull Ring in September.
Bortoleto explained that while he has already announced his future deal, for the time being he is still a driver backed by the Woking-based team and thus will still be sporting their colours, undergoing his Development Driver duties.
The 19-year-old is also hoping to finish the relationship in style as they try to help him win the F2 championship.
“I’m a McLaren driver until Sunday of Abu Dhabi race. I’m still with them as a part of the academy.
“They are giving all the support needed for these two rounds. We did an exceptional job this year in Formula 2 so far, and we need to finish in a high.
“So we are aiming for obviously finishing this championship the best way possible.”
On the other hand, with a such a young and talented driver lineup of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the young drievr couldn’t pass up on the opportunity of a full-time Formula 1 seat, even if it means severing the ties to McLaren.
“So all the work I was doing before, I will keep doing.
“And yeah, the reason why I choose Sauber, the project, obviously, that Mattia showed me about Audi in Formula 1, the future, what he wants, what Audi wants and to be obviously the first Audi driver ever.
“It’s such a great thing and an exciting project. So, I’m looking forward to it.
“At the same time, when you get the chance to have one, you don’t think so much where I’m going to be, it’s more just jump in and do the best you can.
“But I was a very lucky guy to have been offered a nice project for my future, you know, on a multi-year situation.”
The Invicta Racing driver also went over his strengths as a driver and which characteristics set him apart from the enormous pool of available drivers hoping for a seat.
“Look, it’s a difficult question because I never think about this, I just try to do my best.
“But if something, I would like to say my progression is always very good in the series I’ve done. So every year in every single seater I’ve jumped in, I could see I improved so much my driving, my knowledge about cars and technical sides.
“I was never a guy in the past that was so much into technical side of racing.”
With the growth of his racing experience Bortoleto also improved his all around approach to racing, focusing more on all aspects involved in driving.
“I was just about how am I able to drive fast? And nowadays I’m learning much more about car set-ups and stuff like this in the past two years. So I think I’m very curious to learn new things.
“And the progression, especially in F2 this year, was very tough because we started very badly.
“Like we were P12 in the championship at some point. And from there on, we just went up and up and up in the championship and now we are leading.
“So the progression, the non-stop development, it’s a great thing I have.”
The young Brazilian driver is managed by A14, the firm launched and developed by two times World Champion Fernando Alonso.
It features a limited amount of very promising drivers, including Formula 3 race winner Pepe Marti, future Red Bull F1 Academy driver Chloe Chambers, and Formula E race winner Maximilian Gunther.
Asked on how it will feel to battle against his mentor in the 2025 Formula 1 season, and on his relationship with the Aston Martin driver, Bortoleto expressed his gratitude for the support received since 2022.
“He started working at the end of 22, mid-end of 22, and he helped me a lot in the driving side at the beginning, you know, of F3, because everything is new. You know, it’s a new format of race weekend. You have so many less practise, you know, than other series.
“So you basically have a 30 minutes practice, that no one does actually 30 minutes because everyone is waiting in the pits to go out with the better track position possible. So you do like three, four laps in the practice, and then you go to qualifying.
“And to have Fernando in that moment, I think it was nice because I used to ask him so many questions about track conditions after he drove, or things that he tested with F1 that worked.”
A team isn’t made out of only one person, however, as he went on to mention the important contributions to his career made by the other co-founders of the management agency.
“But it’s not only him, you know, people always talk about Fernando, Fernando, Fernando, but there is a group of people in A14.
“There is Alberto [Fernandez Albilares] and Albert [Resclosa Coll] that are also two owners, and they were actually more even involved than Fernando because Fernando was racing. He needed to focus on that.
“A lot of people is involved in my career so far, but ir has been nice. And also in this deal with McLaren and now with Sauber, Fernando has been putting a lot of inputs on that and helping to figure out the best way possible to go.”
Asked if he believes that Alonso will be as supportive next season as he has been in the past, during which the two of them competed in different championships, Bortoleto is sure the relationship will not change.
“I don’t know, to be honest. Hopefully he doesn’t change. I don’t think he’s going to change.
“He sees that I am, let’s say, a good future for him because I don’t think he’s going to be there for very, very long. He can have some more years in F1, but we all know it’s not forever.
“And he wants me to develop as much as I can and to improve and to have a long career there and to one day maybe win races and world championships. But obviously this is a long way there.
“We don’t need to think about this right now. But I’m sure Fernando wants this for me and he’s going to keep helping me.
“He’s not going to just put me there and say, now ‘figure out everything by yourself. Good luck’. And that’s it,” he concluded.
