Mirko Bortolotti’s racing journey reads like a masterclass in adaptability and perseverance. The Italian has carved out one of the most successful careers in sports car racing, culminating in his historic 2024 DTM championship victory—the first for a Lamborghini driver in the series.
Early promise in single-seaters
Bortolotti began his career like many aspiring drivers — in karting — before quickly establishing himself as a promising young talent. After graduating from karting in 2005, he progressed through the European single-seater ranks, competing in Formula Junior and Italian Formula Renault 2.0 before finishing runner-up in the Formula Abarth championship in 2006.
He climbed the junior ranks rapidly, winning the Italian Formula 3 Championship in 2008 with nine wins and six poles. Bortolotti followed that success with the FIA Formula 2 title in 2011, achievements that placed him firmly on the radar of the Formula 1 paddock.
He even tested for Ferrari, Williams and Toro Rosso during this period, and many believed F1 was the natural next step, but as the single-seater ladder grew increasingly expensive and competitive, Bortolotti found his path to the top-tier closing. For a time, the direction of his career appeared uncertain.
Searching for a future – the 2013 Eurocup Mégane Trophy
With opportunities in single-seaters drying up, Bortolotti turned to an unexpected alternative: the 2013 Eurocup Mégane Trophy. On paper, the one-make Renault series was a world away from the glamour of Formula 1, but it provided him with a crucial platform to keep his career alive.
Bortolotti adapted instantly to the powerful silhouette cars, showcasing his trademark versatility and determination. By season’s end, he had won the championship — a result that proved he could succeed outside of formula racing. More importantly, it kept him in the racing spotlight at a time when his career could easily have stalled. In hindsight, the Mégane Trophy served as the bridge between his fading F1 ambitions and the opportunity that would soon define his career: a factory contract with Lamborghini.
Fittingly, more than a decade later, Bortolotti is set to revisit those roots by joining Oregon Team for the International GT Open round at the Red Bull Ring in 2025.
The GT3 revelation
That opportunity came in 2015, when Lamborghini signed him as a factory driver. This marked a pivotal turning point for Bortolotti, in what would become one of the most successful manufacturer-driver partnerships in GT racing. What began as a fresh start soon became a career-defining journey as he adapted quickly to the demands of GT3 machinery, mastering the intricacies of balance, tyre management, and strategy.
However, the transition from single-seaters to closed-cockpit machinery wasn’t without its challenges. Despite his extensive experience in formula cars, Bortolotti discovered that success in GT racing required a complete philosophical shift. Speaking exclusively to Pit Debrief, he admitted that his early perception of GT3 was almost non-existent.
“The beginning of my career was obviously focused on single-seaters with that one goal and back then, to be honest, my perception of GT3 was almost none, I had no clue of what it was,” Bortolotti admitted. “I was so focused on what I was doing and obviously at a certain point, I think it’s fair to say that it probably is a bit too harsh to say it rescued my career, but for sure it gave my career the sense I wanted it to give.”
The decision proved transformative, offering something that single-seater racing often couldn’t: stability and long-term vision. “To be part of a manufacturer, to be part of a long-term project, building a project from scratch and step by step fighting the biggest brands in the biggest, most important endurance races, trying to fight with them and obviously trying to beat them and eventually beat them and win championships and win major races,” he explained.
Learning curve and Championship success
The investment in learning GT3 racing required complete reinvention. “Definitely I had to reinvent myself as well as a driver because a lot of things or many, many things I learned in single-seaters which were important back then for performance or whatever it was, suddenly when you jump into a GT3 car, it’s not for granted that you jump in, and you’re immediately fast,” he reflected. “You need to really re-adapt yourself, reinvent yourself as well in some way, understand what is needed, understand what you have to adapt, what you need to change in order to be fast.”
This adaptability has become a hallmark of Bortolotti’s approach. “This is something I see also, or I’ve seen, let’s say in the past with other drivers, that it’s not really a given thing, no matter what you’ve done before in your career, GT3 racing is something unique, something special,” he noted.
The rewards soon followed. Bortolotti and Lamborghini tasted success in the Blancpain GT Series, where he claimed both the overall and Endurance Cup titles in 2017. He also added victories at some of the world’s most prestigious races, including consecutive Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona victories in 2018 and 2019, and triumph at the 12 Hours of Sebring. These results confirmed his status as one of the most versatile and reliable drivers of his generation.
The emotional connection to GT3
Perhaps most tellingly, Bortolotti’s relationship with GT3 racing transcends mere professional obligation. “For sure I’m really connected emotionally to this platform because as I said, it has given me a career and I will always try to stay in GT3 whenever there is a chance,” he stated. “Also when I have a chance to race in hypercar, for me, it was always clear and crucial to still be connected to GT3, never forget let’s say kind of where you come from or where you’ve spent the last 11 years.”
The reality and challenges of GT3 racing
Bortolotti is refreshingly honest about the complexities and frustrations inherent in modern GT3 racing, particularly with Balance of Performance (BoP) regulations and the politics that sometimes shape results. “Obviously, there are days where I really hate it because it’s really frustrating days in the GT3 environment as we all know, there is not only the motorsport or the sporty side involved, but there’s also other topics or other points let’s say involved in this, politics and BOP and whatever you want to call it.”
However, this pragmatic approach has contributed to his longevity and success. “You have to always see it as a bigger picture, that you cannot always be winning, you cannot always be competitive at the level you want, but sometimes it’s the impossible sixth places or fifth places that make the difference,” he said.
“Then you have the days where you can fight for the win, there are the nice ones that everyone remembers but for me, it’s also trying to get that P7 when the P7 is the maximum on that day and this is I think, what makes GT3 racing so special.”
DTM glory and current commitments
Bortolotti’s entry into DTM began in September 2021, when he made his debut as a guest driver for T3 Motorsport at Assen. Fielding a third Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo car in the sixth round of the 2021 season, he immediately impressed with a second-place finish in Saturday’s opening race and seventh on Sunday.
The strong debut performance earned him a full-time seat for 2022 when GRT Grasser Racing Team joined the series with factory backing from Lamborghini, fielding four Huracán GT3 Evo cars. Bortolotti brought his skills to the format of DTM, where multiple podiums followed, ultimately finishing fourth in the championship. In 2024, he reached the pinnacle by becoming DTM champion in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, cementing his reputation as a driver capable of succeeding across formats. The victory was particularly significant as it made him the first driver not racing for a German brand to conquer the DTM since Nicola Larini’s 1993 triumph in an Alfa Romeo 155.
For 2025, Bortolotti has diversified his racing portfolio whilst maintaining his core commitments. He has switched to Abt Sportsline for DTM and rejoined Grasser Racing for GT World Challenge Europe, piloting the Pro-class machinery alongside Jordan Pepper and Luca Engstler. The trio’s partnership has already proven successful, taking victory at the prestigious CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa in 2025.
A career defined by adaptability
Mirko Bortolotti transformed his journey from single-seater prospect to DTM Champion by recognising and seizing unexpected opportunities rather than following the conventional path.
His story is not one of missed opportunities, but of seizing new ones — transforming potential setbacks into defining moments.
Whether it’s DTM, GT World Challenge, or the global stage of endurance classics, Bortolotti continues to prove why he is one of the finest drivers of his generation. With a DTM title secured and his passion for racing undimmed, he continues to write new chapters in what has already been a remarkable career.
