The early decisions that set Sauber’s rookie for success

Absent from the grid – apart from Pietro Fittipaldi’s cameo appearance in 2020 – since 2017. No victories since 2009. The last world title in 1991... if you ignore Felipe Massa’s 20 seconds of champion-elect glory at the end of 2008, of course.

Brazil, the country which produced three multiple Formula 1 champions in two decades at the end of the last century, has recently struggled to bring young, promising drivers to the pinnacle of motorsport.

But Gabriel Bortoleto could be the man to not only end that drought, but also reintroduce fans back home to the joy of seeing their countryman succeed. His CV, which now includes consecutive titles in both F3 and F2 in his debut seasons in the categories, suggests that he’s not in F1 just to wear an overall and make up the numbers.

Bortoleto is a textbook example of the latest generation of drivers who have lived and breathed racing from a very young age. He started karting just a few years after learning to walk. He moved out of his parents’ home in his early teens to pursue his motorsport dream. And he spends most of his free time now – eight to 10 hours a day, he says – behind the wheel of his own sim.

“It started with my brother, Enzo” recalled Bortoleto in an interview last year. “He’s six years older than me, and started racing at seven, but because of the finances at the time, he stopped for four or five years – and then came back. I was six, turning seven, so I went to the races.

“I liked [seeing] all the kids on the podium, winning trophies and stuff. I was like, ‘Man, I want this.’ I told my father, ‘I want to try’. So he gave me the opportunity, but with no practice, nothing, he just threw me in the race – bam – so I was spinning the whole race, [and] everyone was making fun of me. But there were [only] six go-karts, and in Brazil, we have six places on the podium, so I got my trophy in my first race!”

Winning the F2 championship last year followed up a rookie F3 title for Bortoleto in 2023, but the building blocks had been put into place long before

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

His path isn’t exactly a Cinderella narrative compared with many Brazilian drivers who made their way to Europe over previous decades, since money wasn’t among the main obstacles during his junior career.

As Bortoleto’s hobby turned into a career, his father Lincoln Oliveira, a businessman in telecoms, was not only able to provide the necessary financial support as his son climbed the rather expensive junior motorsport ladder, but also made sure he had all the support he needed when the family decided to send him to Europe.

He was accompanied by his first coach, Francesco di Mauro, whom Gabriel now calls his “second dad”, when he moved to Italy aged 13.

"The guy was a bit in shock, because it was the beginning also of our relationship as coach and driver, so he didn’t know my father so well. [But] he said yes, so they moved to Europe, to Italy, with me, him and his wife" Gabriel Bortoleto

“His son is a professional driver, very successful in Brazil, who did karting in Europe,” said Bortoleto of his first coach. “We were in our beach house and my father asked him, ‘What does Gabriel have to do to become an F1 driver?’ – because that was my dream. And the guy said, ‘OK, he needs to go to Europe’.

“So my father looked at me and said, ‘Pack your bags because in one month you’re moving to Europe.’ And then he said [to the coach], ‘Are you able to go with him?’

“The guy was a bit in shock, because it was the beginning also of our relationship as coach and driver, so he didn’t know my father so well. [But] he said yes, so they moved to Europe, to Italy, with me, him and his wife, and we started the season in 2016. Mid-2016 we did some races, and in 2017 we moved to Europe to live there.”

Bortoleto in turn delivered, becoming one of the top karters in Europe and eventually making a smooth transition to cars, winning races in his first F4 season and then in FRECA as well. But the real breakthrough came in 2023, when he was taken under the wing of the A14 management company, run by none other than Fernando Alonso and his associates Albert Resclosa Coll and Alberto Fernandez Albilares.

A management deal with Alonso helped Bortoleto onto the F1 support ladder with Trident, where he won the F3 title at the first attempt

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

It was with their help that Bortoleto secured a contract with the Trident team in F3, where he won the title in his first season, before moving straight to F2 – now with the support of McLaren. The Brazilian became the Woking team’s junior driver last winter and, although the original plan didn’t include an F1 promotion as early as 2025, Bortoleto delivered when it mattered most.

After struggling at the start of the season, he climbed to the top of the standings by early autumn. This rich run of form attracted the interest of Audi, looking for another driver for 2025 after Carlos Sainz wriggled off the hook. McLaren, with no vacancies for the foreseeable future, agreed to release him. 

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Even before he saw off new Racing Bulls signing Isack Hadjar in the final round decider in Abu Dhabi, the deal had long since been announced on the Sao Paulo GP weekend. Bortoleto will become the 33rd Brazilian F1 driver, and the first since Fittipaldi filled in for Romain Grosjean in the final two races of the 2020 season at Haas.

Given Bortoleto’s performances in the junior series, it’s likely his F1 career will be rather longer.

Can Bortoleto deliver Brazil the success it has craved in F1 for so long?

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images