The final seat for the 2025 season has officially been filled, as Audi has signed current F2 Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto to a multi-year contract to race alongside Nico Hulkenberg, completing their driver lineup for the future.
After months of speculation and rumors, Audi decided to pair an experienced driver in Hulkenberg with a young prospect in Bortoleto. With this signing, Bortoleto becomes the first Brazilian driver to be on the F1 grid since 2017. He joins the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Carlos Pace, Rubens Barrichello, and others in representing the country of Brazil.
Bortoleto started his racing career, like most drivers do, with Karting. The Brazilian driver saw much success in his Karting career (2012-2018) and in the Formula Regional European Championship (winning the championship twice in two years).
This quickly brought him to F4 in 2020, where he finished 5th overall in his first year. In 2023, Bortoleto moved up again to F3, where he took the Championship by storm. He won two races, had six podium finishes, drove the fastest lap of the race two separate times, and finished in 1st in the F3 Championship.
Bortoleto's rapid pace and determined driving caught the attention of McLaren, who introduced him into their driver academy, representing him in his transition to Formula 2 this season. Bortoleto has taken full advantage of this opportunity, as he is in an intense fight for 1st place in the F2 Drivers' Championship in his rookie season.
Bortoleto's consistency through multiple transitions has proven him worthy of a shot in an F1 car. In an interview done by The Athletic, Bortoleto describes, "I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity given to me by the team and for the chance to work alongside an experienced driver like Nico. Both programs have a proven track record of nurturing young talent, and I am confident that together, we will write our own success story”. It is clear that Audi sees much potential in Bortoleto. Bringing him up to F1 so quickly should be seen as a testament to their investment in the Brazilian.
Since Audi will not enter the sport until 2026, Bortoleto and Hulkenberg will drive for Kick Sauber, which Audi will replace in 2026, next season. Looking into the future, Bortoleto has the potential to learn from an extremely experienced driver in Hulkenberg, who can help set him up to be the face of the Audi team. He is still very young and has much to learn, but with the consistency and talent he has shown through every step of his journey, the sky is the limit for Gabriel Bortoleto.
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