Gabriel Bortoleto has “always admired” Max Verstappen’s driving style
Sauber's new driver for 2025, Gabriel Bortoleto, has revealed that he has "always admired Max Verstappen and his driving style, placing the Dutchman alongside Ayrton Senna as a source of racing inspiration.
Gabriel Bortoleto, leader of the F2 championship before the last two rounds of the season, was announced last week as the second new driver for Sauber, alongside Nico Hülkenberg, for the team’s final season before transitioning to an official Audi team in 2026. The Brazilian has thus left McLaren’s development program to seize this opportunity, following an impressive rookie season in F2, succeeding his F3 title in 2023.
Interviewed by the F1 Nation podcast about the drivers he admires, the one managed by Fernando Alonso replied: “I really like the way Max drives. I truly admire his qualifying laps and the way he exploits the car in those moments, as well as his racing style.”
« Obviously, it can be very intense, he added, acknowledging the recent controversies on track after Max Verstappen was penalized for his behavior during the Mexican Grand Prix. « We saw it in the last races, but obviously they are fighting for a world championship, so we all expect them to fight like that.
« I have always admired the way Max drives, ever since I was very young, because I was part of a karting team with which he grew up. They often told me stories about him, and I always wondered: What would Max do in this situation? I always wanted to be a little like him, because he won everything in the junior categories. »
Even though the Brazilian driver paid tribute to his lifelong inspiration. « Obviously, my greatest hero remains Ayrton Senna, for the driver he was, all that he accomplished on the track, but also off it. I think he was a great person with strong moral values, and the legacy he left for Brazil is a source of inspiration for me. »
