A Star is Born: Oscar Piastri
July 22, 2024
Gabriel Bortoleto: the young Brazilian ready for Formula 1
Gabriel Bortoleto carries the hopes of a nation in his debut Formula 1 season, becoming the first Brazilian to compete full-time since Felipe Massa in 2017.
Born in São Paulo, Bortoleto started karting at seven and quickly won local championships, supported by his father Lincoln Oliveira, a businessman active in Brazilian motorsport.
At just 11, he moved to Europe, inspired by Ayrton Senna, achieving international karting success and paving the way for a transition to single-seaters.
Since then, Bortoleto has won races in almost every category he has contested. He progressed through Italian F4 and Formula Regional in 2021 and 2022, before joining Fernando Alonso’s management company, A14.
With Alonso’s support, he accelerated his career, claiming back-to-back F3 and F2 titles in 2023 and 2024, including a remarkable climb from last to first in the Monza Feature Race.
His performances caught the paddock’s attention and positioned him as a contender for one of the limited 2025 F1 seats.
Despite being part of McLaren’s driver development program, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as the team’s established duo, Bortoleto faced no barriers to pursuing his F1 dream.
Speculation about a move to Sauber became reality, and he was confirmed alongside experienced Nico Hulkenberg.
Bortoleto described his official F1 test with Sauber at the 2024 post-season in Abu Dhabi as an “amazing feeling,” and at 20 years old, he is now ready to turn his Formula 1 dreams into reality.