Gabriel Bortoleto is leading the Formula 2 championship with two rounds to go after a superb season for Invicta Racing.
The Brazilian driver suffered a difficult start to the campaign, scoring no points over the two rounds in Saudi Arabia and Australia.
He has since improved, taking his first podium of the season with second place in the Feature Race at Imola as F2 headed to Europe.
Throughout the European season, Bortoleto was very consistent, scoring points and taking his first win of the season in the Feature Race at the Red Bull Ring.
He has had a superb junior career after winning the FIA F3 title last season, followed by his title-challenging F2 season.
Bortoleto is beginning to knock on the door of Formula 1 and is linked to McLaren as an academy driver. But Alex Jacques explained on the F1 Nation podcast that he shouldn’t be rushed into Formula 1.
Alex Jacques feels Gabriel Bortoleto needs time as a reserve driver similar to Oliver Bearman
The leap from the junior categories to Formula 1 is significant as there is a lot of added pressure, as well as more controls on the steering wheel to learn.
Bortoleto is very inexperienced in F1 and has yet to take part in a first practice session, which is vital to learn how to adapt to driving in a Formula 1 session.
He could join an exclusive club of drivers that have won the F3 and Formula 2 titles back-to-back, joining top talent including Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
Some drivers have struggled to perform in F1, such as Logan Sargeant, after being rushed through the junior series and making errors on the track.
Oliver Bearman will step up to the highest level with Haas in 2025 after being part of the Ferrari Academy and competing in two F1 races this year.
Jacques explained that Bortoleto is a very good racing driver but some time as a reserve driver may help him adapt after finishing his junior career.
He said: “I think he would benefit from what Ollie Bearman has had, seeing the leap from Formula 2 to Formula 1 [after some] time as a reserve driver.
“I think a bit of time behind the scenes would allow him to make that leap. If he wins the Formula 2 Championship, the list of people who have done that – [win the] third tier [and] second tier back to back – [is] pretty special. Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri [and[ George Russell [are] not bad.
“But when [Franco] Colapinto has been going through that cycle six months in advance when he’s looking so comfortable, make use of that. If it doesn’t work out, you’ve got someone else waiting in the wings, two great talents.”
Gabriel Bortoleto is in contention to race for Sauber in Formula 1 next season
Bortoleto is a contender to race for Sauber next season, alongside Nico Hulkenberg as the team look to build towards the Audi era in 2026.
The Brazilian driver would be a risky move as there are more experienced drivers such as Valtteri Bottas and Colapinto available.
Juan Pablo Montoya has his doubts over whether Bortoleto will become a Sauber driver, as a young driver can be unpredictable as they learn new circuits in Formula 1.