Gabriel Bortoleto remains steadfast in his belief that Audi is the right place for his Formula 1 career, despite rivals finding earlier success.
Bortoleto entered F1 amid a wave of junior drivers, including Ollie Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, and Isack Hadjar, who all made the move from F2 to the pinnacle of Motorsport.
However, the four drivers have had very different careers in the first two years. Antonelli and Hadjar find themselves fighting at the front, and the Italian driver currently leads the championship. Meanwhile, Bearman and Bortoleto are fighting at the back of the points.
“They’re the two drivers from my generation who are getting podiums,” the Brazilian told Motorsport.com. “I’ve raced against them all my life. The truth is that I did well against them in the junior categories, and I know what I’m capable of. But I have to be patient. Everyone has their own path. Let’s see where we all end up in 20 years.”
Bortoleto took back-to-back titles in F3 and F2, joining a select number of drivers who have ever achieved such a feat. In his F2 campaign, he beat all three other young drivers who now race alongside him.
The Brazilian driver recognised that being in F1 is a dream come true, but it also means facing a new reality. Unlike F2, where even in the worst team on the grid there’s a chance of victory. In F1, he said you have to change your mindset, which isn’t always easy.
“I’m very happy to be in Formula 1,” he added. “It’s the first step towards a dream I’ve always had. At the same time, to be honest, it’s also difficult when you come from the junior categories, where you’ve been winning, and then arrive in Formula 1 knowing you can’t fight at the front. It’s been almost two years now. Today, the goal is to score points, and that’s not easy.”
Bortoleto, like Beaman, is part of a team that is growing, changing, and striving to move from the back of the grid to the front. For the Audi driver, he was candid that being part of Audi ‘motivates him’.
“What motivates me and keeps me going is the project I’m part of,” said the 2023 F3 and 2024 F2 champion.
“I’m not in a team whose ambition is to stay where we are today. I’m in a team that’s improving every year and has a clear long-term plan. I hope that one day I’ll look back and see that everything we’ve been through helped us reach the top.”
‘Pride not pressure’ for Gabriel Bortoleto
With a team that hopes to find themselves at the front of the grid, the acquisition of Bortoleto was a long-term play. At just 22, he has a long career ahead, a future team leader and, with his potential, a potential world champion.
He sees that role as a source of pride rather than pressure.
“Pride, yes. Pressure, no,” he said. “There will be difficult moments, there will be times when you’re not winning, and I have to keep working on my mindset, on myself, and developing as a driver.”
Bortoleto urged that Audi racing at the front of the grid isn’t a case of ‘if’ but rather ‘when’ and doubled down that he will be at the front with them.
“Because the day Audi gives me the opportunity to win, with a winning car and a winning engine – and it will happen, I don’t think it will take that long – I’ll have to be ready to show what I can do.”
He recognised it won’t be an overnight change; true progress from the back of the field to the front requires patience. Though he currently sits 15th in the drivers’ standings, he believes everything can change as quickly as a year. Audi currently sits eighth in the Constructors’ championship.
“Right now, Hadjar and Kimi are definitely closer to the ultimate goal, which is winning a world championship. But everything could change in a year. You never know. I just have to keep doing my best,” =
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