Nationality: Brazilian
Birthday: 10 October 2004
Current team: Sauber
Previous teams: None
Number: 5
Strengths: Consistency, overtaking, awareness, work ethic
Weaknesses: Too aggressive at times, needs more experience
Strongest tracks: Bahrain, Austria, Italy
Weakest tracks: Saudi Arabia
(Based on junior series; will be updated later with more F1 data)
Statistics
Grand Prix wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Fastest laps: 0
Podiums: 0
World Championships: 0
F1 teammate record H2H
Total Q record: 3-4
Total R record: 1-5
| Teammate | Q record | R record |
| Hülkenberg (2025) | 3-4 | 1-5 |
Pre-F1 championship results
Won Formula 2 (2024)
Won Formula 3 (2023)
6th in Formula Regional Europe (2022)
5th in Italian F4 (2020)
Career analysis
Gabriel Bortoleto could be Brazil’s next superstar in Formula One. He was impressive in karting but seemed to lack a gear in the early stage of his formula career. He improved massively once he reached Formula 3 and won that series in his first attempt, mainly through consistency and smart driving. Some viewers still doubted Bortoleto as a top talent, but when he won Formula 2 – also in his first try – it became clear that he truly is a talent worthy of F1.
At just 20 years old, he will make his debut at Sauber next to one of the grid’s most experienced drivers, Nico Hülkenberg. Sauber is projected to be the slowest team in 2025, so Bortoleto will probably have a quiet first season in F1. His main goal should be to beat Hülkenberg in the head-to-head score. The German is one of F1’s strongest qualifiers, so if Bortoleto can perform well next to the Hulk, it will be a great sign.
Bortoleto also seems well-suited for Sauber. In F2 and F3, he showed great skills in overtaking and progressing through the field, even when chaos persisted around him. Bortoleto is mentally strong and rarely has bad streaks. He generally makes good decisions and rarely commits big mistakes, only smaller errors. His qualifying pace is fast but perhaps not elite. He tends to make up for that in races. The Brazilian has a high floor and is unlikely to disappoint in F1. He should, at the very least, be a solid midfield driver. And perhaps a lot better than that.
Thus far, he has improved every single year as a driver. This is likely thanks to the coaching he receives from Fernando Alonso.
Whether Alonso continues to coach him is uncertain. But there are clear similarities between teacher and student, as Bortoleto has that same aggressiveness that young Alonso had. Spending a quiet season at Sauber is not a bad idea for Bortoleto. He will gain experience without receiving too much attention. If everything goes right in his rookie season, he could be promoted to one of the best teams already in 2026. He has connections to McLaren, and there’s also a strong possibility that Red Bull could have an opening sooner rather than later.