Gabriel Bortoleto can now rest assured that his racing future is secure after he signed a Formula 1 deal with Sauber.
There are still two events left in the Formula 2 season – a championship in which he leads by 3.5 points over Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar.
But there isn’t so much emphasis on needing to win the title now, taking a bit of pressure off his young shoulders.
He will still want to win, but it may be the last time he steps on the podium before moving to a team that hasn’t scored a point in Formula 1 this year.
Bortoleto performance ‘encouraging’ in ‘struggling’ team
Invicta Racing aren’t exactly known for their Formula 2 winning prowess, but Bortoleto has helped to put them on the map this year.
Two victories and five podiums have him in the lead of the championship with events in Qatar and Abu Dhabi left to go.
Speaking in an Autosport Q+A podcast, Ben Hunt says that he has been impressed by the young driver this season.
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“He’s in a struggling team, he’s not in one of the leading F2 teams. That’s pretty encouraging. You mentioned the word consistency, and that’s exactly what Audi need.
“It’s quite nice you’ve got the experienced campaigner in Hulkenberg at 37, and then you’ve got Bortoleto who’s obviously 20. Young, exciting prospect.”
What can Bortoleto achieve in his first season?
It’s hard to set any specific targets for a rookie coming up from Formula 2 to a team that has drastically underperformed this year.
One glaring goal would be to score points, as not only would that count as a massive success for him, but his team too.
They’ll want to carry some momentum into the new era of technical regulations from 2026, so learning the team and car will help him prepare for a big push the year after.
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Winning the Formula 2 championship would only fill him with extra confidence, which he is going to need every bit of to be successful in Formula 1.
Only then will he be able to compete with such a measured and experienced teammate in Nico Hulkenberg, who made his debut some 15 years ago by now.