Gabriel Bortoleto has enjoyed an impressive junior career and won the FIA Formula 3 championship in 2022 for Trident after taking two victories.
The Brazilian driver made his debut in the Italian F4 Championship in 2020 with PREMA, and he was immediately on the pace.
He took a victory in the second race of the weekend at Mugello and stood on the podium on four other occasions.
Bortoleto then moved on to race in FRECA for two years before winning the FIA F3 title and competing in Formula 2.
Gabriel Bortoleto won the FIA F3 championship in 2022 in his rookie season
The FIA F3 championship has been very successful in helping drivers sharpen their skills while dealing with the pressure of racing on a Formula 1 race weekend.
Formula 3 has helped develop Oscar Piastri, who won the title in 2020 in a tense finale at Mugello before winning multiple Grands Prix in Formula 1.
Formula 3 is a significant step up from other championships further down the ladder as the racing is a lot more chaotic.
The car is also very different to F4 and regional F3 series as it has a lot more power as well as the Pirelli tyres being difficult to manage.
The field of 30 drivers also has one practice session to learn the circuit before going into qualifying, which is vitally important as overtaking can be difficult at some circuits.
Bortoleto was impressive from the outset in Formula 3 despite grappling with the jump in performance and the off-track factors.
The Brazilian driver won the opening Feature Race of the season in Bahrain, a very impressive drive on a new circuit in which it is difficult to manage tyres.
At the next round in Australia, Bortoleto continued his good form with his second win of the year in the Feature Race.
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That triumph at Albert Park turned out to be his final victory of the year and he became very consistent for the rest of the season.
Over the next two rounds in Monaco and in Spain he finished between fourth and sixth places collecting good points to build his title challenge.
Bortoleto scored four second places and was part of the unusual situation when he won the championship in the pit lane.
In FIA F3, two points are available for pole position. Neither of the Trident driver’s championship rivals, Paul Aron and Pepe Marti, set the pace in qualifying, handing Bortoleto the title. He also became part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme in 2023.
Gabriel Bortoleto fought for the Formula 2 title as a rookie in 2024
Bortoleto won the FIA F3 title in very unique circumstances while sitting in the pit lane at the end of qualifying.
Winning the championship meant he had to move on from the series, so he stepped up to Formula 2 with Invicta Racing.
FIA F2 is the final step towards Formula 1, and the championship has seen many of its alumni compete at the highest level and win races.
Bortoleto made his debut in the championship at the opening round in Bahrain, a notoriously difficult circuit with high tyre wear and warm temperatures.
Despite his lack of experience, Bortoleto finished in fifth and sixth places in the two races, an impressive performance on his debut F2 weekend.
He also took pole position for the Feature Race in qualifying in Bahrain, as well as two championship points to kick off his season.
The following two events in Saudi Arabia and Australia were a reminder that Formula 2 is a difficult series, the Invicta Racing finished just one of the races. He finished outside the points in 10th place in the Sprint Race in Jeddah.
As the championship headed to Europe and more familiar circuits, Bortoleto began to return to form over the summer.
A second-place finish at Imola and another at Monaco were the perfect way to get his year back on track, before Bortoleto took his first Formula 2 win at the Red Bull Ring.
PREMA gave Gabriel Bortoleto his single-seater debut in Italian F4
After a successful career in karting and winning multiple championships in his native Brazil, the next step was single seaters.
PREMA gave Bortoleto his debut in single-seaters in 2020. He finished fifth in the championship and was fast, particularly at Mugello and Monza.
Bortoleto then had two unspectacular seasons in FRECA, where he could not challenge for the championship in the series’ physically demanding car.
Alongside his racing in Europe, Bortoleto also raced six times in the Formula Regional Asian Championship in 2022 before moving up to FIA F3.
Gabriel Bortoleto won his first go-kart title in his first season in 2012
Before single-seaters, most drivers learn car control and how to drive in the rain in go-karts at a young age, competing at a high level.
Bortoleto clinched his first championship in karting in 2012, winning the Open do Brasileiro de Kart — Mirim in Brazil.
He then moved up to cadets for the 2014 season and won the championship again in the cadet class. Bortoleto won the Open do Brasileiro de Kart — Cadete, too, as he built an impressive CV in go-karts.
The Brazilian remained in karting until 2019, taking third place in the FIA Karting World Championship after leaving Brazil to compete internationally.