Gabriel Bortoleto’s remarkable journey from struggling to find a seat in F3 to landing an F1 drive with Sauber is the kind of story that makes motorsport so captivating.
Back-to-back F3 and F2 championships put the Brazilian firmly on the radar of Formula 1 teams. That’s a rare achievement that ultimately earned him a spot with Sauber, which will soon transform into the Audi works team.
But none of it might have happened without Fernando Alonso stepping in.
Getting to F1 is incredibly tough. Even finding your way into F3 can be a massive challenge, as Bortoleto explained to F1.com.
“We had so many issues in 2022. We were not being followed by anyone at the time. It was just me and my father and I didn’t have an opportunity to go to F3 at the time.”
By July, things were getting desperate.
“We didn’t know how difficult it was to get a seat in F3. We thought ‘Oh we’re still in July, we have time’. Then I started hearing PREMA was full, Trident was almost full and I thought maybe we should start pushing for it,” Bortoleto said.
Like most young drivers, he faced the usual roadblock – finding sponsorship.
## Alonso’s crucial intervention
Then came a stroke of luck that changed everything.
Bortoleto’s father, Lincoln Oliveira – a big name in Brazil’s telecom industry – went to the Red Bull Ring for some recreational racing. There, he happened to meet two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso.
“Then my father went to race in the Red Bull Ring with some friends. He met Fernando and [his long-time friends] Alberto [Fernandez Albilares] and Albert [Resclosa Coll, the trio together formed the management agency A14].”
Alonso wasn’t a complete stranger to Bortoleto’s talents.
“Fernando knew who I was as I raced for his team in FRECA [the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine]. I had some great results for the team like the first podium, the first front row,” the Brazilian recalled.
It was a perfect match waiting to happen.
“Both of us wanted to be together, me having a good management team, and them trusting in a young driver who could potentially do good results in the future. They called Trident and it was quite a crazy thing. Everything worked out very well. We signed, we won the championship – and it became very nice.”
## More than just business
While Alonso took on the role of mentor after signing Bortoleto as a client, their relationship has grown into something meaningful.
“We have a very good relationship with each other. I think it’s mainly a professional relationship. Always when we talk, it’s mainly about racing. When I see him on track, if I have any questions, he always helped me in F3 and F2.”
The value of having a two-time world champion in your corner can’t be overstated.
“I can say I’m very grateful for all the advice he has given me the last two years. He has been very good to me. He’s willing to help and teach me. It’s a great thing to have him behind,” said the F1 rookie.
Bortoleto is now just days away from making his F1 debut with Sauber – a dream that once seemed impossibly distant.
