Almost like a mantra, the name of one man was on the lips of throngs of Brazilian Formula 1 fans as they flocked to Sao Paulo’s very own cathedral of speed. Bor-to-le-to.
For the first time in eight years, the Brazilians were able to cheer on one of their own again, an agonising wait to find a successor to Felipe Massa finally over. It was around the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix that McLaren agreed to release its junior driver to Sauber for the 2025 season, with Bortoleto having made a huge impression in F2.
Despite a slow start to life with the struggling outfit, Bortoleto soon started impressing in F1, too, going on to regularly outqualify veteran team-mate Nico Hulkenberg — even if regular points have been hard to come by for both. And while Hulkenberg snatched the headline result with a long overdue podium in Silverstone, the pace of his rookie team-mate has been hard to live with.
But what happened on Bortoleto’s homecoming at Interlagos wasn’t part of the plan. Misjudging the grip available on the final lap of a damp sprint race, an attempted overtake on Williams’ Alex Albon ended with a violent crash and a race against time for Sauber to repair Bortoleto’s car for qualifying.
When Q1 got underway and the Brazilian’s car was still lacking a floor and other key parts, the hope of thousands of Brazilian fans sank like a lead balloon.
Despite Sauber mechanics’ valiant efforts to turn Bortoleto’s car around — which included a new chassis, fresh power unit and gearbox — he would be going nowhere, seriously compromising his chances to get a debut result in the race.
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Those efforts were not lost on Bortoleto either. «First of all I need to congratulate the team, because they rebuilt a car from zero and they almost made it work for qualifying,» said Bortoleto.
Explaining his 57G impact, which warranted a check-up at the medical centre, he said: «It was a combination of things. I went for the move, I dive-bombed him again and DRS was on, I braked probably a little bit on the wet patches. I ended up so that the car pointed completely to the left towards the wall and then I was just a passenger.
«You cannot control it, it’s just terrible. I’m very lucky because I think it could have been much worse and I’ve been able to stay in one piece.»
One Brazilian journalist wondered if Bortoleto’s risky move on Albon for 10th place was wise, coming on the final lap of a sprint race that only rewards the top eight and otherwise has no bearing on the rest of the weekend. Did the elevated expectations around his home race entice him to take a bigger risks than necessary?
The question, which Bortoleto had to field soon after his boneshaking crash, prompted a philosophical response underlining the 21-year-old’s maturity. «It’s a good question, because I’ve always been used to fighting in the front in my previous series, and now in Formula 1 I don’t have quite have the car yet,» Bortoleto mused.
«So, I need to fight at some point, you know? The whole year I’ve been backing out and not being able to fight. But I need to learn and test things as well, because the day that I hopefully will get a car to fight for championships, I cannot make such mistakes.
«And I believe things like today creates better drivers, if you see Max Verstappen at the beginning of his career and everything. But life moves on and I hope I will learn from my mistakes in the future as well.»
Whether or not the Sao Paulo native will get a chance to deliver a strong result from the back of the grid is questionable, but one thing is clear: It won’t be for a lack of home support.
«It’s amazing,» Brazil’s new F1 hero nodded. «If you see the grandstand here, they are screaming my name and even in difficult moments they are there supporting you.
«I think this is incredible, because that’s what young drivers from our country need.»
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