Gabriel Bortoleto has admitted that making the transition from winning championships in F2 and F3 to running near the back of the field in Formula 1 has been challenging, with the Kick Sauber driver acknowledging that “it’s all about having patience” as he looks to continuously improve.
Bortoleto was one of a number of rookies to make the step up to F1 in 2025, the Brazilian driver arriving into the sport off the back of a promising junior career that saw him clinch titles on debut in both Formula 2 and Formula 3.
However, the 20-year-old has found himself far off the front of the pack during his maiden Formula 1 campaign, his best result so far being a P14 in China as he continues to look for his first points of the year.
During the drivers’ press conference on media day at the recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Bortoleto was quizzed on how he is coping with a season that is proving to be very different to his past two years in F2 and F3.
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“It’s not easy, if I’m honest,” the rookie responded. “It’s not easy. You come from two championships – you’re used to being in this room but actually after a race, because you win or you are on the podium. Now for us it’s already a mega job if you’re going to Q2 or fighting for Q3.”
Despite this, Bortoleto recognised that his is a situation that has played out for other drivers who have gone on to achieve success – including George Russell, who spent three years struggling for points with Williams before becoming a race winner at Mercedes.
“There’s always going to be someone paying this price at the beginning,” Bortoleto explained. “If you see George Russell at the beginning of his Formula 1 career, I don’t think he scored a point in his first season, or something like this.
“And now he’s one of the best drivers on the grid and doing such a great job, I wouldn’t say fighting for the championship right now, but he’s constantly on the podium or fighting for things. So it’s all about having patience.
Bortoleto is still searching for his first points in F1 during his maiden campaign with Kick Sauber
“There’s nothing much I can do right now – just learn, try to grow as a driver in these tough moments and do a better job every race weekend. Get better, because I’m not fighting for points right now – that’s the realistic situation. Not me, not Nico [Hulkenberg].
“Nico did a very good job in Australia with a messy race and managed to score points, but realistically in the last three or four rounds we have not been able to be there by pure pace.”
While Kick Sauber have faced a tough start to the season, Bortoleto is hopeful that they can make progress as the year develops.
“What we need to do now is try to point the team in the right direction with the development of the car,” he added.
“We saw last year with Sauber as well – they were last through the whole year basically, and I think with one or two upgrades they brought, they were back to fighting for Q3. So in this world I’ve learned something: everything can happen. So we cannot give up.”
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