F1 Driver of the Day – 2025 Hungarian GP.
Gabriel Bortoleto won the F1 Driver of the Day award at the 2025 Hungarian GP… The 20-year-old from Sao Paulo qualified seventh on Saturday and managed to go one better as he ended up pipping Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin across 70 laps at the Hungaroring.
3 August 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Lando Norris fended off Oscar Piastri to the chequered flag but neither caught the eyes of the fans. Gabriel Bortoleto won the F1 Driver of the Day award at the 2025 Hungarian GP on Sunday as the Brazilian rookie delivered a masterclass to score his third points finish in four races for Sauber.

He kept his composure at the wheel in a race that saw several of the grid collect time penalties for sloppy driving standards, kept it clean and kept the pace up to continue to build his team’s haul for the ongoing Formula 1 season. He improves his haul for the campaign to 14 points and even moves above Yuki Tsunoda’s tally in the Red Bull, as Fernando Alonso’s prodigy continues to prove his pre-season doubters wrong.

With three points finishes in the last four races, the rookie has demonstrated he’s well up-to-speed with what it takes to race an F1 car as Bortoleto lands the Driver of the Day award for the 2025 Hungarian GP. His form has been so strong that he is only trailing the highly experienced Nico Hulkenberg by three points across that run, by virtue of his teammate’s podium at the British GP.

‘Gabriel Bortoleto won the F1 Driver of the Day’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...-hungarian-gp/


Bernie Ecclestone made an amazing Gabriel Bortoleto career prediction straight after the Hungarian Grand Prix
6 August 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Bernie Ecclestone predicts Gabriel Bortoleto to finish on the podium ‘soon’ after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Bortoleto was speaking on the Na Ponta dos Dedos Podcast after the race at the Hungaroring, and asked about his interaction with the 94-year-old. He said: “I’ve known him for some time now, he’s extremely influential in the industry, everyone knows who Bernie Ecclestone is. And he supported my entry into F1, if anyone asked.”

“He said: ‘You can trust him, he’s a good driver and he’ll deliver results.’ He did that part within Audi itself as well. So, I thanked him that day [at the Hungarian GP]. I said: ‘Bernie, thank you very much.’ Because a few words, from a person as influential as him, mean a lot. I went to thank him because it’s important to thank the people who supported you in these moments, of entering F1, we know how difficult it is for Brazilians. But it was quick, I had to go to the grid, then he even called me after the race.”

“Fabiana [Ecclestone’s wife and vice-president of the FIA in South America] called me and passed it on to him, and he came to congratulate me on the race and said that I drove very well, that he was very happy and that a podium would come soon.” Ecclestone has been notorious throughout his time in Formula 1 as someone who has been difficult to please. Even the greatest drivers in the history of the sport haven’t escaped criticism from him in the past.

“A podium would come soon”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ber...an-grand-prix/


How Sauber curfew breach helped Gabriel Bortoleto reach Q3 in Hungary
3 Aug 2025
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Sauber used up one of its permitted curfew breaches on Friday night in Hungary, before a surprise Q3 appearance for Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian rookie delivered his season-best qualifying result with seventh place on the grid, having bounced back from a difficult Friday practice day.

Bortoleto wasn’t particularly comfortable behind the wheel of his Sauber on Friday, putting in 29 laps in FP2 to wind up in 17th place overall and complaining about his car’s balance afterward. That night, Sauber breached curfew rules in place for operational personnel in the paddock, with garage staff still working within the hours between 10pm on Friday night and 6:30am on Saturday morning.

The following day, Bortoleto had a very different car under him. Flying through Q1 with the fifth-best time, he also made it through Q2 by the skin of his teeth. Finishing in 10th place, he was just a thousandth of a second clear of 11th-place Oliver Bearman. In Q3, Bortoleto duly delivered again to finish with the seventh-fastest time of the session to claim his best grid slot of the year.

‘Sauber curfew breach helped Gabriel Bortoleto’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/gabrie...ian-grand-prix


PALMER: Bortoleto's Hungary performance puts him firmly in the running for rookie of the year
Former Renault F1 driver Jolyon Palmer takes a close look at Gabriel Bortoleto's impressive weekend at the Hungaroring.
6 Aug 2025
Jolyon Palmer
Formula One - Official Site

Gabriel Bortoleto scored his best result of the season in Budapest and is starting to look the real deal at Sauber, as he places himself firmly in the discussion for rookie of the year. Bortoleto won Formula 2 last year in his first season in the category, which is a particularly impressive achievement, having clinched the F3 title the year before.

That’s the same resume of many of Formula 1’s strongest drivers, so it should really be no surprise that he’s thriving in his first season in F1, yet I still think he’s performing above expectations, even of those who have watched him come through the ranks in his consecutive title winning seasons.

‘Starting to look the real deal at Sauber’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...94EIjKbiOl1Pyn


Gabriel Bortoleto describes the ‘mentality’ Jonathan Wheatley has brought to Sauber from Red Bull
6 August 2025
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto has heaped praise on Jonathan Wheatley during the team principal’s first season at the helm of a Formula 1 team. Speaking in an interview with Globo Sports, Bortoleto was asked about the impact he has seen Wheatley have behind the scenes at Sauber, which has reflected in the team’s recent results. The Brazilian responded, “I think the arrival of Jonathan Wheatley really brought many positive things to the team.”

“Without a doubt, we’ve already seen several results, but not just results in terms of numbers, like a P7 in Budapest, that’s not it. It’s results in pit stops, the amount of pit stop practice we do during the weekend, the mentality. Jonathan, himself, his work. What he’s doing mainly is restructuring the team. All of those areas at the track: development, the engineers, the mechanics, everyone. He has to bring everyone together. He has to make it a united team.”

“It’s really hard to do that with people who were already used to a very different style. Let’s say Sauber was always a team that never had money, so now with a lot of Audi investment, things are changing; it’s another mentality. So, he already brings a bit of that mentality from Red Bull, who I don’t think suffered financial issues in the past, so he already manages to come in with this new mentality and bring Audi along.”

“Make it a united team”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/gab...from-red-bull/


Where Gabriel Bortoleto has ‘surprised’ Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber in debut F1 season
8 Aug 2025
Anirban Aly Mandal
Motorsport Week

Hulkenberg hailed his team-mate’s exploits so far in the Sauber C45, especially considering that it is his maiden campaign in the sport. “I think he’s a very young, bright, very fast guy,” Hulkenberg told media including Motorsport Week. “He’s very dedicated, very focused, works really hard. He definitely has the right attitude and he’s got the speed.”

“So, he’s very impressive for me, for a rookie. “Seeing him that close as a team-mate, seeing his data, listening to what he has to say after sessions and races, I think it’s very, very encouraging.’ And, you know, he has everything that you need to become a great driver and to have a long, successful career.”

“He’s very dedicated, very focused, works really hard”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...but-f1-season/


Fernando Alonso makes generational Gabriel Bortoleto claim after ‘best’ Hungarian Grand Prix display
3 August 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Fernando Alonso claims Gabriel Bortoleto is the ‘best rookie of his generation’ at the Hungarian Grand Prix. That left Bortoleto free of a penalty and able to challenge the field for more points. However, the Hungaroring circuit’s twisty and narrow nature prevented many drivers from making sizeable gains.

The Sauber driver finished behind manager Fernando Alonso in P6; his best result as an F1 driver to date. P5 was also the Spaniard’s best finish of 2025 as he and Stroll scored a valuable 16 points for the team. Alonso has been pivotal in Bortoleto’s development and his current trajectory. Under his management, the Brazilian has won the F3 and F2 titles as a rookie before making it to the F1 grid, where he is showing his credentials as a serious talent.

‘Generational Gabriel Bortoleto claim’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...-prix-display/