Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley has shared his thoughts on Gabriel Bortoleto’s stellar performance, his progress so far, and strategy calls after the young rookie took the chequered flag in a career-best sixth place at the F1 Hungarian GP on Sunday.
Bortoleto turned the heads of many as he set the seventh-fastest time in qualifying, while his veteran teammate Nico Hülkenberg encountered a Q1 exit.
The Brazilian driver went one better in Sunday’s race, battling hard and managing his tyres to make the alternative one-stop strategy work at Hungaroring.
Gaining a position at the start, Bortoleto extended his stint on the mediums to a mind-boggling 40 laps. Thereafter, he mounted a superb defensive drive and crossed the line in P6, just 2.005s ahead of the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.
Bortoleto finishing in the top ten for the third time in four races is certainly a testament to Sauber’s recent resurgence.
Wheatley really appreciative of Bortoleto’s work ethic
Speaking in a print media session after the F1 race, Jonathan Wheatley opened up about how well Gabriel Bortoleto is working together with Hülkenberg and the rest of the team following his 8-point haul at the Hungarian GP on Sunday.
Hailing the current Sauber driver line-up as the most collaborative pairing in his decades-long career in F1, the Brit insisted that this teamwork is instrumental to their revival.
Wheatley was also effusive about Bortoleto’s work ethic and his impressive ability to assimilate relevant information. Furthermore, he added that the 20-year-old’s on-track performance and off-track aptitude both demonstrate that he is a star in the making.
“I mean, it’s [working together] incredibly important. I have to say that it’s the closest, most collaborative driver pairing I think I can even remember in all my time in Formula 1.
“Gabriel [Bortoleto] has a fantastic work ethic. He has a capacity for taking on new information. He’s proving every way to be the future star that we expected him to be.”
One-stop was Sauber’s preferred strategy for Bortoleto
In terms of whether Sauber adopting the one-stop strategy for Gabriel Bortoleto at the F1 Hungarian GP was a pre-determined choice, Jonathan Wheatley confirmed that the one-stopper was their preferred plan. At the same time, he revealed that they were willing to pivot had the circumstances dictated so.
Stating how the majority of the teams were leaning towards the conventional two-stop strategy, the 58-year-old explained that Bortoleto nursing his yellow-walled tyres exceptionally well and extending the first stint made them certain about going the distance with a single pit stop.
“For us, the one-stop was our plan A, but it wasn’t a solid plan A. I think for everyone, it was really on the cusp of a two-stop.
“We just spent quite a bit of time this morning talking about it and we had the opportunity to change our strategy if we needed to.
“As it was, you know, the car, Gabriel managed his tyres beautifully and he delivered a fantastic stint actually on both sets of tyres. So it pretty much was never in doubt from that point.”
Wheatley finds Bortoleto’s growth as a driver so far exceptional
Asked how impressed he has been with Gabriel Bortoleto’s progress in the first half of the season, Jonathan Wheatley showered the young rookie with considerable praise following his best F1 finish at the Hungarian GP.
Highlighting that the Brazilian driver never had the opportunity to rack up F1 mileage with extensive TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programs, the Sauber team principal noted how Bortoleto has produced compelling drives recently and at circuits he is familiar with.
Moreover, emphasising how he has matured further as a driver in the past several months, Wheatley revealed that he expects the Brazilian to orient himself faster to the unfamiliar tracks in the final half of the season.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s worth pointing out again that he hasn’t done 10,000 kilometres of testing of previous cars. He hasn’t done 10,000 kilometres in Formula 1, correct? It’s his first season in Formula 1.
“There are so many circuits that he’s not been to and there’s some coming up that he hasn’t been to. He’s been able to deliver brilliantly over the last few races and circuits that he knows.
“I think he’s matured as a driver and he’s developed as a driver. And I think he’s going to be able to adapt to these new circuits much quicker than he did in the first half of the season.”
Wheatley also maintained that Bortoleto staying late with the Hinwil-based squad after they had encountered reliability issues on Friday further demonstrated his maturity and high regard for the team.
“Gabriel stayed and came and thanked his crew at the end of the evening. I think that just shows you not only the level of maturity he has, but the level of respect he has for the team.”
