Gabriel Bortoleto, the promising Sauber Formula 1 rookie, delivered a breakthrough performance at the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying session on Saturday, June 28, 2025, securing an impressive eighth place on the grid at the Red Bull Ring. This marked the best qualifying result of his young F1 career and the Sauber team’s strongest qualifying showing since Las Vegas 2023. For Bortoleto, it was a significant milestone, reflecting months of hard work, growing confidence, and a deepening understanding of his car and the sport.
The 20-year-old Brazilian reached Q3 for the first time, a feat that lifted a weight off his shoulders after narrowly missing out in previous races by fractions of a second. His qualifying lap was particularly notable for being just two-tenths of a second slower than four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who started seventh. Bortoleto’s performance also saw him outqualify fellow rookie Kimi Antonelli, signaling his rising competitiveness in the field.
Reflecting on the weekend, Bortoleto said, “I feel like the track is very special for me.” The Red Bull Ring holds a special place in his racing journey, having taken his maiden Formula 2 victory there in 2024. “I'm getting more and more experienced with the car and the team and the series. It's just the beginning. It's not even half of this season for me,” he added. The rookie’s comfort level was evident from the start of the weekend, with Bortoleto noting, “I feel like it's the first weekend that I'm that comfortable since FP1. It feels like things are clicking for me and I'm going in the right direction.”
Sauber’s technical updates played a crucial role in this progress. The team introduced a new floor and a high-downforce rear wing at Spielberg, which provided a performance boost. However, Bortoleto was quick to emphasize that the gains were not solely due to the car’s upgrades. “I feel like I'm getting more confident with the car,” he explained. “Not only from the upgrades, but also myself and [the] understanding.” He described the early part of the season as a period of adjustment, where every practice session felt like learning a new machine. “At the beginning of the season, when you jump in the car, it's basically a different feeling. Every single FP1, you don't know how the car is going to behave. But then when you get used to the car more and more, you start putting it in the limits earlier in the weekend and you work more on yourself on the driving, on the setup.”
One memorable moment from qualifying was the sportsmanship shown by Max Verstappen. After Verstappen’s own lap was compromised by a yellow flag caused by Pierre Gasly’s spin, the Red Bull driver gave Bortoleto a slipstream down the main straight during the final Q3 run, helping the Sauber rookie improve his lap time. Verstappen, known for his competitive spirit and camaraderie with Bortoleto, said, “I saw him behind me, and he has really had a good weekend so far, so I thought, let me try and help him a little bit.” Bortoleto gratefully acknowledged the gesture, noting with a laugh, “He always gives me a tow, he's the best. I tried to give him a tow as well from Turn 8 to Turn 9 but then there was a yellow flag. But I tried my best, I even tried to take the [battery] charge off to boost the engine.”
Looking ahead to the race on Sunday, June 29, Bortoleto expressed a clear and focused mindset. Despite the strong grid position, he plans to race aggressively but wisely, recognizing the limits of his car compared to frontrunners like Verstappen. “My approach for the start, I'm going to try to do the best start possible [and] gain some positions,” he said. “If I cannot gain, I'm going to try to keep there and try to make the best race pace I can to score points tomorrow.” He also acknowledged the importance of choosing his battles carefully: “Obviously it makes no sense in fighting with people you cannot stay ahead of. But for sure I'm a racer, I'm going to try to gain the positions early in the race and see what happens. But I'm not going to be focusing on overtaking people that I know that probably have better pace than me like Verstappen because it will probably just destroy your tyres. Just focusing on people we actually [are competing against].”
Bortoleto’s performance carries additional significance beyond personal achievement. Should he score points on Sunday, he would become the first Brazilian driver to do so in F1 since Felipe Massa, who finished tenth at the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, marking an end to an eight-year-long points drought for Brazilian drivers in the sport. This milestone adds extra motivation for the young driver, who is keenly aware of his country’s rich motorsport history.
The Sauber team’s hard work and development efforts have clearly begun to pay dividends. Bortoleto himself praised the collective effort, stating, “As a team, we have worked tirelessly, testing different setups, learning from successes and failures, and remaining constantly competitive. Since the start of the season, I believe in the potential of this team and its ability to improve, even when we started from a difficult position.”
Starting from the fourth row alongside Verstappen, Bortoleto is in a prime position to capitalize on his qualifying success. While Verstappen’s pace is expected to see him move forward quickly, Bortoleto’s focus will be on consolidating his position and fighting for points against realistic rivals like Kimi Antonelli, who has been close to him throughout the weekend.
As the Austrian Grand Prix unfolds, all eyes will be on the young Brazilian to see if he can translate his qualifying promise into a strong race finish. With his newfound confidence, team upgrades, and strategic approach, Bortoleto is poised to make a significant impact and potentially score his first Formula 1 points, breathing new life into Brazil’s presence in the sport after a long wait.
Fans and pundits alike will be watching closely as the race develops, eager to witness whether this weekend at the Red Bull Ring will mark the turning point in Gabriel Bortoleto’s Formula 1 career.
