Gabriel Bortoleto: Brazil's quiet F1 hope meets the raucous hopes of a nation

This weekend, Gabriel Bortoleto is putting an end to a drought few imagined possible: eight years since a Brazilian last raced in front of his own crowd at Interlagos.

For 48 years, F1 had at least one full-time Brazilian driver until Felipe Massa retired at the end of 2017. Since then, the country has endured its longest period without a local driver on the grid at the Autodromo Carlos Pace.

That will end on Sunday, thanks to Bortoleto, who arrives at his home race after a quiet but impressive rookie season that has had its ups and downs but that has ultimately confirmed Brazil has reason to be hopeful about the 21-year-old’s prospects ahead of Audi’s arrival in 2026.

For a nation whose Formula 1 identity was once defined by noise, Bortoleto’s arrival feels different. There are no grand promises, no talk of destiny.

His rookie season has been marked instead by quiet competence: consistent drives, a calm temperament, and flashes of racecraft that have caught the paddock’s attention.

Bortoleto’s temperament may prove invaluable for what lies ahead — as Sauber transforms into Audi ahead of the 2026 rules reset, Bortoleto’s seat could soon carry far greater weight.

In a team preparing to become Germany’s new works operation, the Brazilian’s skillset has not gone unnoticed.

“I think it’s the maturity that I’ve been the most surprised by,” Sauber team boss Jonathan Wheatley said at the Mexican Grand Prix.

“When you consider his age, the way he handles things — the frustration, the natural things you’d imagine from a driver in his first season — he handles them with such maturity. I’ve talked before about his work ethic. If he can be in the simulator, he’s in the simulator. If he can’t be on the simulator, he’s on the simulator.

“And I think on top of that, the way he’s knitting his engineering team around him — the way they’re working together — is hugely encouraging as well. And the final piece in the puzzle for me is when he’s at a tricky circuit, he builds up to it. Monaco, he built up to it. His only contact with the barrier was in the race. Same in Baku. Same in Singapore. He just has such a mature approach. So I’m hugely encouraged by his performance so far.”

Wheatley’s assessment captures why Bortoleto feels like such a natural fit for Audi’s incoming project, which is likely to face a challenging start.

Audi’s arrival in 2026 carries huge potential, but it’s unlikely to bring instant success. The German manufacturer inherits a Sauber operation that has spent years fighting to re-establish itself in the midfield. It will need time to integrate its new engine, refine its structures, and learn the rhythms of modern Formula 1.

Stability in its driver line-up is one thing a new manufacturer like Audi will be craving, and Bortoleto’s technical fluency, willingness to learn, and calm temperament may be the foundations the team needs.

If the pieces fall into place, the Brazilian could be its homegrown cornerstone.

Bortoleto’s season of gradual progress

Bortoleto’s rookie season has not been without flaws, particularly early in the year, when he struggled to match Hülkenberg’s form.

Hülkenberg was the more established reference point, his experience giving the team a baseline for performance and development as Bortoleto worked on getting up to speed.

Neither driver’s life was easy at the start of the year, however, as Sauber looked like the weakest team until it started to turn around its fortunes with a big update in the Spanish Grand Prix.

While Hülkenberg opened the year strongly with an early points finish and a standout fifth place in Spain, Bortoleto’s first half of 2025 was much more low-profile. He finally scored his first points in Austria, the 11th race of the season.

The Red Bull Ring was the start of a streak that saw Bortoleto outqualify Hülkenberg eight weekends in a row and score in four of the next nine races, his sixth place in Hungary the highlight.

Hülkenberg’s experience in tyre management and ability to read a race have made the German the main points scorer at Sauber, but Bortoleto has made significant progress in those areas since the start of the season.

Hülkenberg has also kept mistakes to a minimum, often salvaging points when the car’s pace didn’t warrant them.

The veteran German is 10 places ahead of his younger team-mate in the standings but, especially in the second half of the season, it is not a fair reflection of how close they have been but of how difficult it has been for one team to stand out in F1’s ultra-tight midfield.

Beyond the results, there’s a quiet recognition within Sauber that Bortoleto has been a bright spot.

“The only way to judge your season is basically looking at your team-mates and the performances you had,” Bortoleto said at Interlagos. “So if I look at myself, I’m very proud of the season I’ve been having. It has been very positive.

“We came from a very tough start of season with the car and everything, and then we brought some good upgrades, put us in the points. Q3, I think I was there four or five times, something like this. So I’m quite happy, to be honest, with my season. I think it has been pretty decent.”

Is Bortoleto Brazil’s next star?

Well, yes, if only because he’s the nation’s only full-time F1 driver with a contract for next year, not to mention the only realistic prospect Brazil currently has, unless Pietro Fittipaldi suddenly finds himself in a position to go from simulator to race driver with Cadillac.

Brazil hasn’t had an F1 champion since Ayrton Senna took his last title in 1991, and the country’s racing history means it is desperately in need of one.

The wait for another Brazilian champion may still be long, but in Bortoleto, the nation may have found the quiet confidence that it is at least on the right track.

“I wouldn’t say [I feel] more pressure because I take it as one more race of the season,” the Brazilian said ahead of his home race. “We have done so many already. But I’m more anxious for it. I want to drive, want to feel how it’s Interlagos and everything.

“I don’t see it pressure wise. I don’t need to perform better or worse because I’m in Brazil. It’s the same thing. I’m going to do my job. I’m going to sit in the car. I’m preparing the same way as I did to any other race and have fun and go for it. I’m happy that my family is going to be around. A lot of Brazilian fans. And that’s for sure bringing a lot of good energies for me when I’m on track.”

When Bortoleto takes to the track at Interlagos this weekend, there won’t be talk of carrying a nation’s hopes yet, only of extracting the best from the car and showing the potential to do something greater if the opportunity presents itself with Audi.

For now, after a long wait, the emotional Brazilian crowd will at least have one of their own to cheer for.