Gabriel Bortoleto will join the F1 grid in 2025, and already has an idol in the track he looks up to in Max Verstappen. Bortoleto has never hidden his admiration for him, and even rates the Dutchman above Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
Recently, the two F1 drivers were on a Twitch stream, where they exchanged banter — some rather wholesome moments. It was evident that they both have a liking for each other, and Bortoleto let viewers know of the fact.
The Sauber (soon to be Audi) bound race driver, in the recent episode of Beyond the Grid, spoke about being in the same karting team that Verstappen used to be a part of. Listening to his folklore turned Bortoleto into the fan he is today.
“Nowadays, I really like the way Max drives. I admire his quali laps and how much he extracts from the car. I’ve always admired how he drives since I was young: I was part of a go-kart team where he grew up, and they always told me stories about him and I always was like “What would Max do in this situation?” said Bortoleto.
MAX VERSTAPPEN CALLS GABRIEL BORTOLETO BUBBLES I AM DEAD pic.twitter.com/o0moT0D0i8
— Laura (@formuLau16) November 9, 2024
Perhaps, emulating the way Verstappen drives has worked well for Bortoleto, who has made waves in the junior Formulas. After winning the F3 title in 2023, the Sao-Paolo born driver is currently leading the F2 Championship in his rookie season with two rounds remaining.
With a 4.5-point advantage, Bortoleto is the favorite to win the title, which is why Sauber ultimately went for him, despite there being several options to choose from.
Bortoleto, a good problem for McLaren to have
With Oscar Piastri (23) and Lando Norris (24) already in the lineup, McLaren hardly needs any young driver in its immediate pipeline (unless someone leaves). As such, despite Bortoleto’s recent success, they would have had to keep him on the sidelines, or lose him to the rivals.
The Brazilian driver has been running under the McLaren flag since the second half of last season. So if he had won F2 without a confirmed F1 seat, he would have most likely taken a reserve role at the Woking-based squad, which more often than not, results in other teams poaching brilliant talents like him away.
This is why McLaren would be happy to lose him to Sauber for the time being. The Hinwil-based squad has scored zero points in 2024, and will be of no threat to McLaren in the Championship next year.
Plus, if proven good, McLaren would be able to get him back without much complications. That way, it’s better to lose him to a non-established team than to the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, or Red Bull.
