Bortoleto: Brazil has been waiting a long time

Given the storied history of F1 in that country - think Ayrton Senna and Emerson Fittipaldi to name just two legends - and following Argentina's Franco Colapinto quickly built up in his Williams cameo at the end of last season, 20-year-old Bortoleto admits expectation for his rookie season with Sauber is already building:

Bortoleto told reporters ahead of the F1 TV LIVE event in London today: “That was quite crazy what happened with Franco! You could see sometimes a lot of fans outside his team waiting for him and cheering, and I think the Brazilians are no different.

"They are very warm people and they have been waiting a long time for a Brazilian Formula 1 driver for eight years when Felipe left. So it’s going to be a lot of expectations from fans from Brazil.

"Hopefully I’ll see them in a lot of races supporting me and the team, and I’m excited for that/ I’m glad I can represent my country in the biggest motorsport series in the world," added the kid from Sao Paulo.

His racing career shows that Bortoleto quickly made a name for himself in karting, paving the way for his single-seater career. After progressing through junior categories, he made a major impact in 2023 by dominating the Formula 3 championship and securing the title. His success earned him a role as a McLaren junior and development driver.

In 2024, all eyes were on him as he stepped up to Formula 2 with Invicta Virtuosi Racing. He immediately proved his potential, consistently scoring points and claiming podiums.

A standout victory in Spielberg reinforced his title credentials, and after taking the championship lead in the penultimate round, he secured the title ahead of Isack Hadjar.

Bortoleto’s rapid rise continued in 2025 as he made his Formula 1 debut with Kick Sauber, ahead of the team’s transformation into Audi for 2026.