Bortoleto: I am very grateful to Fernando Alonso.

      Last year, Gabriel Bortoleto, the reigning F3 champion at the time, won the Formula 2 title on his first attempt, becoming the seventh driver in the history of the youth series (which dates back to 2005, when it was called GP2), who succeeded. And now his lifelong dream has come true – the 20-year-old Brazilian has become a Formula 1 racer.

      In 2025, Gabriel will drive for the Sauber team, but admits that if it were not for Fernando Alonso, he would not have been able to make such a rapid ascent.

      "We had a lot of problems in 2022,– the Spanish newspaper Marca quoted him as saying. – My father and I didn't even know that it would be so difficult to get a place in F3. At first we thought we still had time, because it's July. Then I heard that the Prema line-up was already complete, and Trident was also on track, and I thought: apparently, it's time to start fighting for a place in this series, but for this we need to find sponsors.

      His father and several of his friends went to a race at the Red Bull Ring, and there he met Fernando Alonso, Alberto Albilares, and Albert Coll (i.e., the trio of founders of the A14 Management agency). Fernando already knew me because I was competing in Formula Regional for his team and was already showing good results back then."

      Alonso did not hesitate to provide Bortoleto with the necessary support, he made his debut in F3 and became the champion of the series.

      "We wanted to work together – I needed effective management, and they trusted a young rider who could achieve good results in the future," Gabriel continued. – They agreed with Trident, everything started moving at an insane speed and turned out very well. We signed a contract and won the championship.

      I think, first of all, we have a professional relationship. Whenever we talk, it's mostly about racing. When we met on the tracks, if I had any questions when I was racing in F3 and F2, Fernando always helped me.

      I am very grateful to him for all the advice he gave me in the previous two years. He treats me very kindly, helps and teaches me. I am very glad to have such a person next to me. When Fernando Alonso is involved in your career, it makes a difference, because everyone understands that if he's confident in someone, then it could be one of the new racing talents."