Gabriel Bortoleto is being heavily tipped to make the step up to Formula 1 with his impressive performances in Formula 2.
The Brazilian made the step up to Formula 2 this year with Invicta Racing after he won the Formula 3 title the year prior, beating Zak O’Sullivan to the championship by 45 points.
Making the step up from F3 to F2 can sometimes take time for drivers to adapt, with some requiring a second season before they can get settled. But for Bortoleto, it has been a rather seamless transition.
The 20-year-old currently leads the championship with just two rounds to go, having grabbed two wins and five podiums so far.
His performances have caught the attention of the F1 paddock, but if history is anything to go by when it comes to winning the F2 title, a move to F1 is not looking too good. And Bortoleto’s recent comments on the matter will certainly not go down well with champion Theo Pourchaire.
Gabriel Bortoleto claims he has never seen a driver win Formula 2 and not reach Formula 1
In the last five seasons of F2, only one of its champions managed to reach F1 the following season; that being Mick Schumacher in 2020.
Last season’s champion Pourchaire won the title over Frederik Vesti at the final round in Abu Dhabi. The Sauber reserve driver has since been struggling to find a full-time seat as he has been snubbed of an opportunity in F1.
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Pourchaire had been racing in IndyCar with Arrow McLaren after David Malukas left the team following injury. But the 21-year-old was replaced by Nolan Siegel after the race at Road America and has been finding it difficult to find his next challenge.
Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Bortoleto expressed his optimism about reaching F1 if he can win the F2 title, claiming he had never seen anyone not do so. But Pourchaire will certainly have something to say about that given the lack of opportunities that have been afforded to him.
“What I can tell you is that, I’m leading the Formula 2 championship right now and I’m so focused on winning this title. And that’s all I’m thinking about to be honest.
“I need to go for this title and I leave the future in the hands of the people that take care of my career. That is, it’s a guy that maybe you know, he’s called Fernando Alonso!”
“I don’t know, but I’ve never seen a guy that wins F3 and F2 not get into F1. So, hopefully this helps for me to get a chance in F1 one day.”
Can Gabriel Bortoleto hold off Isack Hadjar to the Formula 2 title?
With two rounds left of the F2 championship, Bortoleto has just a four-and-a-half point lead over Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar.
The Brazilian took the lead the championship last time out at Baku, as he finished fifth and fourth in the two races in Azerbaijan, while Hadjar failed to score points in either the Sprint Race or the Feature Race.
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The Frenchman is in a poor run of form heading into the round at Qatar, having only score points once in the last seven races.
In that time, Bortoleto has scored points in all but one of the last seven races, grabbing one win and two podiums in the process.