McLaren have enjoyed a superb rise throughout the Formula 1 season in 2024 and now lead the Constructors’ Championship.
The British team snatched the advantage from Red Bull with eight races to go last time out at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Their academy also has many talented drivers including the reigning FIA F3 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, who is even now leading the Formula 2 standings.
Alongside Bortoleto, McLaren also have Alex Dunne and Ugo Ugochukwu in their junior ranks further down the ladder.
Bortoleto has been incredibly impressive this season after stepping up to F2 with Invicta Racing. He leads the championship by 4.5 points over Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar after bouncing back from three consecutive retirements earlier in the year.
The Brazilian has also caught the eye of the McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. Julianne Cerasoli has even claimed on the UOL Esporte YouTube channel that Bortoleto reminds Stella of current McLaren F1 driver and two-time Grand Prix winner, Oscar Piastri.
Gabriel Bortoleto reminds Andrea Stella ‘a lot of Oscar Piastri’
Bortoleto has been blisteringly fast in his rookie Formula 2 season, a very impressive feat whilst adjusting to the most powerful single-seater he has raced.
The Brazilian is in contention to win the Formula 3 and FIA F2 championships in consecutive seasons, possibly repeating Piastri’s achievement from the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
He would become part of a very exclusive club if Bortoleto does win the Formula 2 championship in his first year, joining drivers such as Charles Leclerc and George Russell. Lewis Hamilton also won the feeder series title as a rookie in the GP2 era.
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Piastri, meanwhile, has been ice-cool under pressure throughout his Formula 1 career and took his second race win in Azerbaijan after resisting pressure from Leclerc.
Cerasoli claims that Stella now thinks Bortoleto has been very humble while being part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme whilst showing traits akin to Piastri’s.
She said: “Like Oscar, Gabriel is humble, he learns all the time and is the type of person who will always evolve because he doesn’t arrive thinking he knows everything; he listens to everything that is being said and taught to him at McLaren.
“He is just learning and putting it on the track and putting it in a consistent and calm way. He said that Gabriel has reminded him a lot of Oscar himself, which is a huge compliment from McLaren’s boss Andrea Stella.”
Gabriel Bortoleto could become a Formula 1 driver in 2025 with Sauber
Bortoleto is backed by McLaren, but with Lando Norris and Piastri performing at such a high level and battling at the front, there is unlikely to be a vacancy in the near future.
The Brazilian driver may have better luck trying to get a seat at Sauber for the 2025 season. The Swiss team may have an opening for next year, ahead of becoming Audi in 2026.
Nico Hulkenberg is joining Sauber from Haas, and Valtteri Bottas has aspirations of competing in IndyCar if he can’t continue in F1 in the future.
Sauber have been floundering at the back of the field and are yet to score a point this year. Before transforming into Audi in 2026, they may like a younger driver to partner with the more experienced Hulkenberg.