One of the most hyped rookies of the 2025 F1 season, Gabriel Bortoleto has definitely been living up to expectations. In spite of not managing to achieve a flashy result like his more experienced teammate Nico Hülkenberg, the Brazilian driver has managed to mostly steer away from troubles‘, even scoring some good points in Austria.
A strong record pre-F1
Bortoleto had come to Formula 1 as a back-to-back feeder series winner. In fact, he had become Formula 3 Champion in 2023 with Trident, and had taken the Formula 2 championship in past season with Invicta Racing as well.
He signed a multi year Formula 1 deal with Sauber, which will see him become an Audi driver in the upcoming seasons. However, so far in the 2025 F1 season Bortoleto has had some mixed experiences, with an overall positive rating.
The Sauber driver achieved his first Formula 1 points in Austria, which was the team’s first double points of the season. Bortoleto compiled some good overtakes taking advantage of a top ten race start, and despite the fact that Alonso got the best of him in the closing stagea, he still achieved P8 as the best result of his F1 career. He ended the race ahead of his teammate Nico Hulkenberg, who managed to reach the top ten starting from the back of the grid.
Not only positives
The Brazilian has definitely shown consistent pace, talent, and an ability for mostly steering away from troubles. Nevertheless, during the 2025 F1 season so far Bortoleto did not finish three races.
Just after the Austrian high, in fact, the former Trident driver experienced a great low, as he spun out of the British GP on the first couple of laps. Bortoleto had been punchy with his tyre choice, as he had opted to go for medium slicks on the still rather damp Silverstone track.
However, the mistake didn’t mar his joy in seeing Hülkenberg achieving a much deserved first career podium.
His Formula 1 debut at Albert Park ended up with a DNF, which saw him spin and crash at Turn 13. On the other hand, his third retirement was instead caused by technical issues, which have deeply affected the initial part of Sauber’s season.
In fact, Hülkenberg as well has had issues with scoring in the first part of the season, with the recently introduced upgrades dramatically improving the performances of the driver duo.
With Nico Hülkenberg known for his incredible qualifying performances over the years, the fact the Brazilian is tied with him in the qualifying head-to-head says a lot about his speed.
Overall, rookie of the 2025 F1 season Bortoleto has been consistently growing and improving his driving abilities, as well as tyre management and race expertise. In spite of some mistakes, he has shown potential and it will be interesting to see his next on track moves in the upcoming second half of the Formula 1 season!
