Bortoleto mimicks Leclerc and Verstappen ahead of his F1 debut with Sauber

Having clinched this year’s FIA Formula 2 title at last weekend’s Abu Dhabi round, Sauber-bound Gabriel Bortoleto has been named FIA Rookie of the Year after his incredible back-to-back rookie title victories in F3 and F2 in the last two seasons.

Audi and Sauber Motorsport AG confirmed ahead of the final leg of the F1 season that Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto would complete the team’s 2025 F1 pairing alongside Nico Hülkenberg.

Hailing from São Paulo, Bortoleto began his racing career at the age of six in karting and, by twelve, he had moved to Europe with his family to pursue his Formula One dream.

He made a strong impression upon graduating to FIA Formula 3 in 2023 by dominating his debut season and winning the Championship, before moving to the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

The Brazilian clinched the F2 title in the final race of the season, becoming joining an illustrious club of drivers who have secured back-to-back rookie titles in F3 and F2. The first driver to achieve that feat was Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc, whose achievement was repeated by George Russell and Oscar Piastri.

Bortoleto, who will make his F1 debut with Sauber as Nico Hulkenberg’s team-mate, has now been named FIA Rookie of the Year after his incredible back-to-back rookie title victories in F3 and F2 in the last two seasons. It means that the Brazilian joins Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, who were both named Rookie of the Year previously.

Speaking of the Brazilian driver, two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso, whose A14 Management oversees Bortoleto’s career, has named the Brazilian driver as the top rookie of the 2025 class.

“He’s the best. He was, in his rookie season in F3, champion. He was, in his rookie season in F2, champion,” stated Alonso quoted by Motorsport.com.

“I know there are a lot of talks about the young generation – a lot of rookies also next year, very talented all of them, but the best is Gabriel. He showed it on track with the same cars.

“Obviously next year he will maybe not have the same car as some of the rookies, but I hope people do not forget that he’s better than them. He was and he will [be].”