It’s not a new F1 season without Helmut Marko’s bizarre claims and controversial statements. Ahead of the 2025 campaign, he did just that — taking a dig at multiple rookies to paint his own star in a better light. But after what happened in Saturday’s qualifying, he may be forced to eat his words.
Marko had labeled Alpine’s Jack Doohan a ‘C-grade driver’ and suggested he might lose his seat before the season ends. The Austrian made similarly dismissive comments about Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, calling him a B-grade driver. At the same time, Marko kept praising Liam Lawson.
While remarks on both Doohan and Bortoleto were harsh, the Brazilian’s criticism was particularly unfair. Despite driving for Sauber — a clear backmarker — he arrives in F1 with immense talent, having won the F3 and F2 titles in successive seasons (2023 and 2024). That’s a feat previously achieved by the likes of Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri — all of whom are now among the sport’s top drivers.
Bortoleto out-qualified Lawson in Australia, making it out of Q1 — something the Red Bull driver failed to do. Almost instantly, social media was flooded with jabs at the Milton Keynes-based team’s chief.
One user on X (formerly Twitter) claimed how it was cinematic to see the Sauber rookie outqualify a Red Bull driver as it served as a fitting response to Marko‘s comments. “Bortoleto outqualifying one of the drivers from Red Bull…” the user began.
bortoleto outqualifying one of the drivers from Red Bull after Helmut Marko said he’s a B driver and lacks speed pic.twitter.com/kNKJNzUYnN
— Clara (@leclercsletters) March 15, 2025
Lawson finished 18th, three places behind Bortoleto, who impressed in his first-ever F1 qualifying session. In contrast, Lawson had already participated in 11 sessions before. Fans quickly latched onto this and called Marko out for making the comparisons.
I watched Gabi Bortoleto outqualify his teammate and wind up in q2 as a rookie with zero f1 experience while having Helmut Marko call him a b class driver AND getting hate for no reason pic.twitter.com/Mzw2Bxr1H6
— ️ (@parisianarchive) March 15, 2025
Bortoleto showed decent pace throughout the practice sessions and delivered exactly what Sauber wanted — making it out of Q1. For a 20-year-old to outqualify both a Red Bull and a Mercedes driver (Kimi Antonelli) while driving a significantly slower car speaks volumes about his talent.
He out-qualified a Mercedes and a Redbull in that case
— GammaSeeker (@AshiDas003) March 15, 2025
The Sao Paulo native was aware of what Marko had said about him. He responded to the 81-year-old’s comments personally upon learning about it on media day at Albert Park.
Bortoleto has proved himself
Despite his young age, Bortoleto responded to Marko’s criticism with maturity. He showed respect for the Austrian veteran, acknowledging his role in bringing Max Verstappen to F1. However, he also made it clear why he deserves his own place on the grid.
“Everyone can have opinions. We live in a free world. I think he has his opinions about me. I think I proved myself to be in F1, I won F3 and F2 as a rookie,” he said.
The Brazilian also took a subtle jab at Marko’s tendency to speak out on matters that may not concern him. “I’m going to prove him wrong with time. It’s just a matter of time. Nothing I can say to the media right now will change his mind, because he’s just talking and talking,” he added.
Marko could regret his early comments on Bortoleto, especially if he delivers a strong race performance. However, more often than not, he refuses to change his stance on those he criticizes. This is one of the reasons social media doesn’t take his words too kindly, as seen in the recent backlash.
That said, Marko would surely want to have a word with Lawson after his disappointing Red Bull qualifying debut.
