How Bortoleto is inspired by Russell to endure his troubles at Sauber

Of the six rookies on the grid, he's certainly the most discreet. Over the first five Grands Prix of the season, Gabriel Bortoleto hasn't made a splash. Neither negatively nor positively. It must be said that the Brazilian doesn't really have the tools to show off his best. As in 2024, the Sauber is the weakest car on the grid—to say it would be the worst, given the tight performance in 2025, would be an insult to the Swiss team—and the 20-year-old driver regularly finds himself at the back of the pack, fighting not to finish last.

Since his little burst of brilliance in Australia, where he reached Q2 by eliminating Nico Hulkenberg For his first Grand Prix, Gabriel Bortoleto was never able to get out of Q1 and never finished higher than 14th place. With a counter blocked at zero, compared to six points for his teammate who was opportunistic in Australia, the South American is dragging his feet at the start of this season and at the start of his career in Formula 1. However, the reigning champion of Formula 2 takes his situation with perspective and patience, and does not hesitate to find points of comparison to reassure himself.

"It's not easy, to be honest. I'm coming off two championships where I was used to being [in press conferences], but rather after the race, for a victory or a podium, the Sauber driver had confided at a press conference in Jeddah. Now, for us, it's already huge to get to Q2 or fight for Q3. But there will always be someone who will pay that price at the beginning. For example, George Russell, at the beginning of his Formula 1 career: I don't think he scored a point in his first season. Today, he's one of the best drivers on the grid and he's doing a very good job. I wouldn't say he's fighting for the championship right now, but he's constantly on the podium or fighting for good positions.

Indeed: in 2019, George Russell – then protégé of the Mercedes – began his career at Williams, within a stable in decline and financial difficulty. During his first season, with a car with abysmal performances, the Briton had a blank season while his teammate at the time, Robert Kubica, had achieved the feat of scoring a point in Germany, at the end of a Dantesque Grand Prix. The Englishman had to wait three seasons at Williams, even going so far as to secure a podium at the comical 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, before being promoted to Mercedes in 2022 with the career we now know him for.

Bortoleto forced to be patient

At the moment, Gabriel Bortoleto finds himself in a similar situation to that of George Russell in 2019. Like the Briton, the Brazilian has a certain talent, having won the Formula 3 and Formula 2 in just two seasons. Like the Briton, he struggles to shine at the back of the grid. And like the Briton, he has to contend with a more experienced and opportunistic teammate, who manages to score points in chaotic situations. So, for the new Sauber driver, patience is the mother of all virtues.

“There is nothing I can do right now: just learn, try to grow as a driver in these difficult times and do a better job every race weekend, puts the South American into perspectiveJust to improve, that's a realistic goal because I'm not fighting for points right now. Neither am I, nor Nico [Hülkenberg]. Nico did a really good job in Australia with a messy race and managed to score points, but realistically, in the last three or four Grands Prix, we haven't been able to be in the game on pure pace. What we have to do now is try to steer the team in the right direction with the development of the car. We saw it last year with Sauber: they were last for the whole year, and thanks to one or two upgrades they made, they came back to fighting for Q3. So I've learned something in this world: anything can happen. So you shouldn't give up."

« I knew what I was going to experience, I just have to be strong."

Accustomed to victories in Formula 3 and Formula 2, Gabriel Bortoleto says he was aware of the task awaiting him at the modest Sauber team when he signed his contract. "I don't talk to anyone outside of motorsport, only my family. I talk to some drivers, and some of them have gone through what I'm going through right now: difficult seasons, not scoring points or struggling to do so, he testifies. You have to be patient. But it's not a surprise to me. I didn't come into this season expecting to be fighting for podiums or points at every race. I knew what I was going to experience, and I just have to be strong. The team has been very clear with me from the beginning that this is our situation (…). I know it's not pleasant to be in the situation we're in, but that's how it is. That's life.

The Brazilian knows: the real date for him will be in 2026, when Audi officially makes its debut in Formula 1. With a multi-year contract that guarantees him a presence on the grid next year, the number 5 has the luxury of having a learning season with Sauber without having a lot of pressure on his shoulders. And when we look at the upward trajectory of George Russell's career, after three years of eating his black bread, we say to ourselves that the former protégé of McLaren maybe isn't in such a bad situation...

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