A New Era for Brazil: Gabriel Bortoleto

A new name is lighting up the world of Formula 1: Gabriel Bortoleto. With passion and undeniable talent, he’s bringing fresh energy to the sport and inspiring a new wave of excitement for Brazil. This is more than just the start of a career; it’s the beginning of a new era for Brazilian motorsport.

(Image credits to F1)

Who is Gabriel Bortoleto?

Gabriel Bortoleto is a rising Brazilian Formula 1 driver who was born in 2004 in Osasco, São Paulo, and is the first Brazilian driver born in Brazil since Felipe Massa retired in 2017. Bortoleto has shown he has a natural talent for racing, progressing rapidly through karting before moving up the junior single-seater ranks in 2020. In 2025, Bortoleto joined the F1 grid as one of six rookies, driving for Sauber alongside experienced driver Nico Hülkenberg.

While he is still early into his F1 career, Bortoleto has impressed teams and fans with his determination and performances. Many see him as a potential future star for Brazilian racing heritage.

Career

Bortoleto began his racing career, like all drivers, with karting. His karting career started in 2011 and he competed in the Campeonato Sulbrasileiro de Kart in 2012. He moved to Europe to compete in European karting championships and to pursue a professional racing career.

Karting up until 2019, Bortoleto’s most successful year was in 2018 where he finished third in both the European and World Championships in OK-Junior. He also finished second in both the WSK Super Master Series and the Andrea Margutti Trophy. Bortoleto started his FIA single-seater racing career in 2020, competing in the Italian F4 Championship, where he was partnered with Sebastián Montoya, Gabriel Minì and Dino Beganovic at PREMA. In F4, he managed to score his first podium in Mugello, finishing second, and later taking his first single-seater win in the fourth round of the season. He scored two more podiums in Monza and finished the championship in fifth. After competing in F4, Bortoleto moved to Formula Regional for the 2021-2022 season.

In 2021, he signed with FA Racing, run by MP Motorsport for the Formula Regional European Championship. This championship was not a highlight for Bortoleto after finishing 15th in the championship. In 2022, he competed in the Formula Regional Asian Championship with R-ace GP. This is where he won in a reversed-top-ten race at Singapore. Returning to the European Championship, Bortoleto managed to win at Spa after his teammate was penalised. He finished the series in 6th overall.

In 2023, Gabriel Bortoleto became a Formula 3 Championship winner, adding to the short list of rookie title holders. His F3 seat came about after competing in the post-season test in September of 2022 where he was announced as an F3 driver with Trident.

In his first race, Bortoleto was given a five-second penalty for causing a collision but bounced back the following race with a victory. Halfway through the season, Gabriel was sitting in a comfortable lead and later won the 2023 FIA Formula 3 championship after a sprint race. He was later signed for Invicta Racing to compete in Formula 2 in 2024. What a season this was for Gabriel Bortoleto! Experiencing highs and lows throughout the season, Gabriel managed to win the F2 championship title. He became the fourth champion to win the FIA F3 and F2 titles in successive years, following Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri, and became the second Brazilian to triumph in the category after Felipe Drugovich in 2022.

Currently, Gabriel races for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber and has been managing well, learning the F1 circuits and machinery.

Home race and heritage

In his upcoming home race this weekend, Bortoleto made a statement about what it means to him and his heritage. He told the media, “Growing up in São Paulo, I always dreamed of racing at Interlagos – and to do it as a Formula One driver is something I am really looking forward to. It almost feels unreal.” He also added, “All the work my family and I put in over the years has paid off and I can’t wait to finally head out on track in front of my people.”

Heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix, Bortoleto says that his priority is always the racing side of it and has acknowledged that there is additional pressure. Although it is his home race, it doesn’t change how he approaches the weekend, and he is ready to deliver. It is well known to the media and fans that Senna is a massive inspiration to the young Brazilian. Having grown up surrounded by the legacy he left behind, Bortoleto will be racing with the late driver in mind this weekend.

Titles

FIA Rookie of the Year – 2024

Anthoine Hubert Award – 2024

FIA F2 Champion – 2024

Aramco Best Rookie Award – 2023

FIA F3 Champion – 2023

Article written by Faith Ashington©️Faith Ashington 2025