The 2025 F1 British GP marked a bittersweet outing for Sauber. While Gabriel Bortoleto’s race lasted no more than four laps, seasoned campaigner Nico Hülkenberg not only drove the distance but also bagged his career-first podium finish. Team principal Jonathan Wheatley is understandably in high spirits while also treading carefully with young Bortoleto.
The decision to run the Brazilian driver on slick tyres under wet conditions was always going to be a risky one. While parts of the track dried out before the start of the race, other patches were still dangerously wet in the last three corners.
Bortoleto soon suffered the consequences of the gamble as he struggled to find grip and had to run unusually slow. Just as he found the opportunity to push the throttle, the rear of the car spun around and landed him in the barriers.
The incident may have brought the rookie’s race to an end, but he was in no mood to retire to the motorhome. Bortoleto stayed back with the team crew and monitored Hülkenberg’s race alongside the engineers. As his senior driver crossed the chequered flag in third, the 20-year-old was among the first to congratulate him on the team radio.
Bortoleto learning a lot watching and listening during F1 British GP
According to Wheatley in a print media session, Bortoleto’s actions reflected his hunger to learn and were a testament to his work ethic.
“Gabriel has a tremendous work ethic and he has a capacity for learning. He wants to learn. He’s drawing information out of everything,” said Wheatley during his print media interaction post-British GP. “He takes information in from everywhere. I think for him to sit there in those conditions and listen to Nico asking all the right questions and conversations on the radio, it’s only going to make him stronger.”
Wheatley further talked about Lewis Hamilton’s ‘comforting ‘reassuring’ reach out to Bortoleto after the race.
Hamilton reached out to Bortoleto after F1 British GP: Wheatley
Bortoleto scored his first points at the 11th round, the Austrian GP. However, the maturity in his drive was evident right from the start. The British GP, therefore, could have been a great opportunity for the rookie to score big and build up some confidence.
As the race did not go as planned, thankfully, Bortoleto had plenty around him offering support. Among those was Hamilton, whose words, as per Wheatley, were reassuring for the Brazilian.
“I feel for Gabriel. It’s easy to forget that it’s his first season in Formula 1, and Lewis had some kind words for him after the race just to reassure him that Gabriel will learn from this. He’ll get stronger,” said Wheatley.
One question, however, remained. Why was Bortoleto not on the same tyre strategy as his teammate, who started on intermediate tyres? While Wheatley did not reveal whose decision it was, the strategists’ or the driver’s, he did disclose that the team was ready for a pit stop right before the race-ending crash.
“We were telling him who was boxing, and we had the pit crew ready and he was by the pit entry and we were open to it. I think we decided to box with him,” Wheatley revealed.
