National hopes: Bortoleto carries a new kind of pressure into his F1 homecoming

A jaunty, jazzy instrumental cut through the grainy footage each time Ayrton Senna soaked in the adulation of a Formula 1 victory - at least if you were watching the Brazilian coverage. This celebratory interlude was the Tema da Vitória, opened by blaring brass bleats ahead of its progression into swinging, elongated saxophonic notes; since 1986, it was played by TV channel Globo for nigh-on every victory by a Brazilian driver.

38 of Senna's wins were appended by the instrumental, recorded by Brazilian soft-rock band Roupa Nova to a composition by Eduardo Souto Neto. The track also accompanied Rubens Barrichello's 11 victories and 10 for Felipe Massa, with almost half of Nelson Piquet's wins also receiving Tema treatment at their conclusion.

Since Barrichello won 2009's Italian Grand Prix, the Tema da Vitória has been left unused in F1 circles. Brazil hasn't had a winner of its own since Barrichello's late-career victories with Brawn, and the track's indelible presence has been restricted to the confines of archive footage of Senna's greatest triumphs.

But there's hope. Firstly, Globo has reclaimed F1's TV rights after a five-year sojourn on Bandeirantes, albeit with fewer races on free-to-air channels - Globo had commissioned the instrumental in the first place in 1981, albeit to symbolise the winner of the Brazilian Grand Prix rather than all wins by a Brazilian driver. Secondly, Brazil finally has a driver who, on the evidence of his maiden F1 season, could break the nation's dry spell.

Gabriel Bortoleto's emergence over the past three years has been surprising, but his junior track record across his one-year stints in Formulas 2 and 3 were exceptional. Characterised by impeccable consistency and a clear progression in performances, Bortoleto landed in F3 in 2023 with a reasonable reputation, although sixth in the Formula Regional European Championship didn't necessarily brand him as Brazil's next hope. Yet, championship titles in F3 then F2 at the first time of asking had replicated the successes of George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri in more recent years; clearly, Bortoleto deserved to be in F1 at the least.

Sauber had offered him the chance to learn and grow with relatively little pressure. The start of this year was not entirely fruitful, as Sauber's early-spec C45 tended to anchor the rest of the field. As the team improved, however, so did Bortoleto - and by Austria, he'd collected his first F1 points with a stellar eighth-place finish.

Bortoleto opened his F1 points account in Austria - and has gone from strength to strength since

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

Although his sixth place finish in Hungary remains the peak so far, his run to 10th last time out in Mexico deserved plaudits after recovering ground from a disappointing 16th in qualifying. While Saturdays have been a strong point for Bortoleto, having commanded an 11-9 advantage in qualifying over veteran team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, his lack of familiarity with the recent run of circuits has sapped away at the final few hundredths needed to turn a Q1 outing into a potential Q3 progression. However, his races are getting stronger by the weekend; his overtake on Isack Hadjar to wrest control of the final point was uncompromising and forthright, but without ever straying into the realms of unfair.

Helpfully, he has a smattering of experience of the next venue: his home race at Interlagos. He hasn't raced at the circuit competitively in single-seater machinery before, but in tin-tops; Bortoleto shared a seat with Gaetano di Mauro in Stock Car Brasil's 2022 opener in Sao Paulo. Most of his experiences, however, have come as a nascent fan of F1 during his younger years - now, he returns home emulating those he'd watched from the stands.

Pressure is to be expected; it comes with the territory. While the fans' expectations will raise the bar, Bortoleto will face greater media attention and more obligations with local sponsors, both energy-sapping endeavours at the best of times. He only has to take a sideways glance at his old F2 counterpart Andrea Kimi Antonelli to observe how failing to manage one's energy can yield to a disappointing weekend. Antonelli admitted that he'd overstretched in his first home race at Imola, and felt that his muted performance was a function of being pulled from pillar to post.

"To have a Brazilian driver there is going to be amazing - and I don't think the team really realises what that means in terms of the passion" Jonathan Wheatley

"The priority and the focus is always the weekend of the racing," Bortoleto stated, in anticipation of the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix. "It's the racing side of it and all the sponsors know it. Obviously, I have more commitments than normal because that's why I get paid, to go to these meetings and talk to people, I'm happy to do this.

"But at the same time, everyone supports me and knows that the priority is racing. We have a very good schedule for next week to make sure I attend all the commitments I have plus the most important, the racing side of it."

It's a given that Bortoleto will have spent hours upon hours threading a facsimile of his car through Interlagos virtually, both on Sauber's simulator and his own - perhaps the latter with some mentoring from Max Verstappen, with whom he gets on famously. However, there's a distinct disconnect between learning a circuit from the comfort of one's living room, and the real-world pursuit of perfection in the pressure pit developed by the hopes resting on his shoulders.

Bortoleto waves to the Mexican spectators - in Brazil, the fans will all be rooting for him

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

Either way, Bortoleto has proven in his rookie year that he's got his head screwed on, and he should be able to cope. With tips from Verstappen and mentor/manager Fernando Alonso, plus the support of Jonathan Wheatley on the Sauber pit wall, the Paulista should be able to luxuriate in his homecoming and perform on-track when it matters.

"To have a Brazilian driver there is going to be amazing," Wheatley suggested after Mexico. "And I don't think the team really realises what that means in terms of the passion. It's great.

"And the great thing for us is the weather's often changeable there. Maybe there's some opportunities to do something extraordinary. We know that both Gabriel and Nico are great wet-weather drivers, and maybe we'll be facing those conditions."

There's a few hints in the weather forecast that Sao Paulo might indeed be subject to a few showers, but trying to predict the weather at Interlagos is often a fool's errand. The luxury of three practice sessions will not be afforded to Bortoleto either, given Brazil hosts a sprint weekend; the 21-year-old will have to wrap up most of his familiarisation programmes swiftly on Friday before diving straight into sprint qualifying. But he should be able to cope.

After five years without a Brazilian driver on the grid (Pietro Fittipaldi), and eight since a Brazilian last drove in an F1 race at Interlagos (Felipe Massa), South America's largest nation finally has one of its own again. Unless, of course, we're counting honorary citizen Lewis Hamilton - and if we are, it has two Brazilians on the grid since Felipes Massa and Nasr drove in 2016.

There's something about F1 with a Brazilian superstar that just feels right. While it might be a few more years before the Tema da Vitória is dusted off once again, Brazil's hopes rest with Bortoleto to invoke the jaunty, jazzy number once more.