Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto has recorded his best Formula 1 result by coming 6th at the F1 Hungarian GP. Before leaving for the summer break, the rookie driver executed a brilliant race, which he described as a self-confidence boost.
Racing against world champions
The Brazilian rookie started the race in 7th position between Lance Stroll, two spots behind Fernando Alonso and right ahead of Verstappen. Underlining the importance of such circumstances, Bortoleto expressed how amazing it was to race against the two world champions.
“Two-time world champ, four-time world champ, and I’m in the middle. It’s just something amazing that I’m so glad to experience already in my rookie season and be fighting against these guys.
“It’s just amazing. Honestly, I’m so happy. It was a great race and we did everything we could.”
Successfully overtaking Stroll at the start, Bortoleto also secured a finish ahead of four-time world champion Verstappen, who ended up coming in 9th place.
However, the Brazilian driver admitted that it was very hard to defend his position against Verstappen while trying to find a way by on Alonso in the early laps. Ultimately the four-time World Champion lost pace as he started to slide around on the mediums.
“I gave my best. I tried to keep him behind. It’s not easy.
“He was flying at that moment, putting a lot of pressure. Fernando was slowing down a lot. Honestly, it was very nice to fight against him.”
Post-race Alonso interaction
Bortoleto shared that he talked with Alonso after the race and that they joked about who was quicker this time. The two previously had a couple of fights during the race in Austria, with the Spanish driver prevailing.
The Brazilian driver admitted that Alonso had simply a better race pace this time, which he couldn’t beat. He is looking forward to trying again next time.
Bortoleto further stated that he learned some tricks from Alonso’s driving and defending style.
“He was laughing because he was like, :you thought you were quicker, right?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I thought. Not this time.’ Maybe next time.
“He had a better pace today. It was impossible [to beat him]. It was just very difficult unless he does a very big mistake, but pure pace, he was faster.
“Yes, [learning any tricks about defending from Fernando]. He knows exactly where to slow down and where to push. It’s a very unique thing.
“He’s a top driver on doing this type of thing.”
A gradual progress
It is crystal clear that the driver of Sauber’s number five car has come a long way in terms of his performance this season. His earlier qualifying and race results would mostly position him at the back of the grid. However, in weekends like Austria and Belgium, Bortoleto succeeded in finishing in points.
Before entering the summer break, Bortoleto recorded his best result in Formula 1 so far. He explained the race as “pure pace and so much great results.” Considering that he is the reigning F2 champion, his early F1 results might have been a bit damaging to his champion mentality and confidence.
Nevertheless, this result outlined the lessons he took from earlier in the season. Now he is applying them as Sauber significantly improved their package.
“Super satisfied. I couldn’t be more satisfied than this because I think that’s the real result we can achieve.
“I think we really maximised the car we had today or even did better because I overtook Lance at the first lap. And we know the Aston had a very good pace this weekend.
“It’s a boost. It’s a lot of confidence. It’s a lot of things for me, for the team. Honestly, I’m looking forward to what we can achieve still this year.
“It’s my rookie season. It’s normal that you progress. At least for me, I’ve been always like this.
“If you check my junior series, I always have this type of steps in my career. Because I like to work, I like to study, I like to understand what I’ve been doing wrong and do a better job.”
