Bortoleto: If it weren't for Alonso, I wouldn't be racing in F1 right now.

      Gabriel Bortoleto is one of those drivers who get many things right on the first try. In 2023 he immediately — at the end of his debut season — became the Formula 3 champion; in 2024 he repeated the same achievement, but in Formula 2; and now he is racing in Formula 1, where he is already being talked about as the most promising rookie.

      After 16 rounds of the season the 20-year-old Brazilian racing for Sauber has 18 points, despite the Swiss team's car not being particularly effective. It’s worth remembering that over the previous two seasons Sauber drivers scored only two points more.

      Nevertheless, at three of the previous four rounds Bortoleto made it into the qualifying final, and those tracks were very different in character.

      “Honestly, driving this kind of car is very difficult,” he admitted on the Beyond the Grid podcast. “Cars of this generation are very complex; they're very sensitive to the wind, to changes in external conditions and the state of the track. Fortunately, I'm able to adapt quickly to the Sauber.

      But the best drivers face similar challenges, such as Lewis Hamilton. You can't say he handles it poorly, but everyone expects high results from him because he is a seven-time world champion. If you recall the race at Zandvoort, he was very close to his teammate in qualifying there.

      My approach to learning has always been the same: you have to improve gradually. Of course, at first you need to absorb a lot because you are only starting to gain experience. But once you achieve stability and reach the required level, you just have to work on the car's setup and try to improve various aspects of it.

      Ultimately, step by step, you absorb a large amount of information, and that allows you to perceive everything differently. If you can improve by 1% every day, that's a very, very big step.”

      Bortoleto's career is managed by A14 Management, Fernando Alonso's company — meaning Gabriel is a rare driver who competes on track against his manager.

      “It's fun, although difficult! But I try to learn from him, even though sometimes I don't fully understand why he acts the way he does,” the Brazilian shared. “He speaks openly about some things, but about others he may only talk when he retires. We make many decisions together and implement them together.

      Fernando has huge experience; he knows a great deal about the world of motorsport and helps me not only with my career but also off the track. He was the one who helped me get into Formula 1 and sign a contract with Sauber. We have genuine mutual respect.

      If it weren't for Fernando's influence, I wouldn't be racing in F1 now. He was the one who helped me sign with a great team in F3 and taught me a lot during that debut season. He continued to be my mentor in F2. I'm not sure I would have been able to win the titles in those junior series if he hadn't been my manager.”

      According to Gabriel, he has only three friends among the championship's drivers: Alonso, Oliver Bearman and Max Verstappen, about whom he said: “Perhaps people simply don't know him from the good side because he is very blunt in his words and actions, so many consider him a villain, although in reality he is not like that at all. Max has a kind heart; he likes to help people...”

      Of course, like everyone in the paddock, Bortoleto is preparing for 2026, when Sauber will become Audi's factory team and Formula 1 will switch to next-generation machinery.

      The ability to adapt to new cars could become one of the key factors:

      “Of course, there are cars that suit you better and others you feel less comfortable in, but if you're quick then you have speed, and it's just a matter of adapting. That's especially important for young drivers, so I have no choice. You have to drive the machinery you're given and learn to extract everything it's capable of.”