Gabriel Bortoleto is taking advantage of his new relationship with McLaren while the Brazilian embarks on his debut season in Formula 2.
The 19-year-old was signed to the McLaren Driver Development Programme after he won the Formula 3 title in 2023; the first championship win of his career.
Bortoleto registered six podiums across the season, including two wins in the feature races in Bahrain and Australia, and scored points in all but three races to win the title with 164 points, 45 points ahead of Zak O’Sullivan in second.
The Brazilian driver linked up with Trident for the 2024 Formula 2 season in what is his first year in the last step before Formula 1.
And speaking with Motorsport Brasil, Bortoleto revealed that he asked for ‘tips’ from an F2 champion before getting stuck into the season.
Gabriel Bortoleto asked McLaren Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri for ‘tips’
McLaren have gone through a dramatic rise in recent months, particularly in Formula 1, as they have gone from a team struggling at the back of the grid with an underperforming car at the start of 2023, to now being Red Bull’s closest competitor for the championship.
So far in 2024, drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have one Grand Prix victory each – the Brit in Miami and the Australian in Hungary – as McLaren sit second in the constructors’ championship, 42 points behind Red Bull.
Norris finished second in the F2 championship in 2018 before joining McLaren a year later, while Piastri won the title at the first attempt in 2021.
And Bortoleto shared that he spoke to the Australian driver before this season to get some ‘interesting’ pointers.
He said: “I’m not a close friend of theirs, obviously, but I have a good relationship.
“I think Oscar, I talked a little before starting my Formula 2 season to follow some tips and some examples that he could give me. He won in his first year right, so I think it was very interesting.
“Exactly, that’s the objective. I’ve already accomplished Formula 3, now I’m trying to do Formula 2.
“I talk to Lando, but a little less. I think he’s obviously many generations ahead of me, while Oscar, I knew him when he was still in Formula 3. So, I had a bit of a relationship before but they are very good people who always support me.”
Bortoleto is fighting for the F2 world championship
After coming out victorious in Formula 3 last year, Bortoleto finds himself in another title fight straight away in Formula 2 this year.
The Brazilian is currently second in the standings after grabbing a win in the feature race in Austria and three second-place finishes.
Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar leads the championship by 36 points over Bortoleto, while rival Paul Aron sits five points behind the Trident driver after a difficult run a form saw him lose the lead of the standings.
With four rounds of the season to go, it is still all to play for as the F2 season heads to Monza in late August.