When 12-year-old Gabriel Bortoleto Met ‘Beast’ Max Verstappen

Gabriel Bortoleto(L), Max Verstappen(R)

Destiny plays an important role in life — and even at the pinnacle of motor racing. A budding karting driver, dreaming to make it into the big leagues, Gabriel Bortoleto got the chance to taste what F1 feels like when he crossed paths with a bonafide superstar in Max Verstappen. This meet up happened when Bortoleto was only 12. And next year, he will line up alongside the three-time champion on the grid.

Autosport took to their X (formerly Twitter) handle and gave a throwback. Bortoleto met Verstappen at a karting event and had posted a photo with the Dutchman back in 2017. Bortoleto wrote, “Got the opportunity to meet this beast today!!!” 

This throwback also signals the end of an era in terms of F1’s sporting heroes and icons. While many drivers on the current grid grew up watching the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, there is an entire generation now that looks up to the drivers like Verstappen for inspiration.

Even when he was a 12-year-old karting driver, Bortoleto was a rising star. But his road to F1 has been one of dominance in open-wheel single seaters. He won the F3 title last year in dominant fashion in his rookie year.

And with two rounds to go in F2 this year, the incoming Sauber driver is on the verge of winning back-to-back junior formula titles. He sits atop the standings from Isack Hadjar with a 4.5 point advantage. Needless to say, where Verstappen found himself back in 2017 is where Bortoleto finds himself now.

That said, 2017 was the Dutchman’s second full-time season with Red Bull and he had already etched his name in the history books — becoming the youngest ever Grand Prix winner when he won on his Red Bull debut at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2016.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Audi Gabriel Bortoleto Max Verstappen Red Bull Sauber

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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