Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg believes teammate Gabriel Bortoleto has all the ingredients to be a “great” F1 driver.
The F1 podium finisher was expected to lead Sauber when he signed with the team early last year. Indeed, the 37-year-old has performed at a very high level this year and contributed the majority of Sauber’s points.
His podium in Britain, his first in F1 and Sauber’s first since 2012, underlined the success of his stint with the Hinwil outfit.
Still, teammate Gabriel Bortoleto is also operating at a very high level – even as a rookie.
Bortoleto is regularly on Hulkenberg’s pace, with the German praising the 20-year-old for his progress in 2025.
Hulkenberg discusses Bortoleto’s strengths
The first round of the season in Australia was pure chaos, with wet conditions producing a very unpredictable race.
Amongst the chaos, Nico Hulkenberg managed to claim 7th place on his Sauber debut.
In the context of Sauber’s 2024 campaign, this was a very strong start to the year. What became in subsequent weeks, however, was how important those points were in the context of the C45’s performance.
Throughout the first few rounds, the Hinwil-based outfit were regularly at the back of the field.
Because of this, there were relatively few headlines about the Sauber pairing – especially for rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.
The Brazilian, who was overlooked even in pre-season for rookies like Antonelli and Bearman, was quietly going about his business at the start of 2025.
Although Sauber lacked the pace for points, Bortoleto was out-qualifying teammate Hulkenberg relatively quickly.
His race pace, though still a step behind the 37-year-old, was also solid.
When Jonathan Wheatley’s team brought updates, Bortoleto’s pace was converted into points finishes.
Speaking at the Hungarian GP, Hulkenberg was full of praise for his teammate:
“He’s very strong, hardly makes mistakes, a very hard worker, very dedicated and focused.
“I think he’s really enjoying his time here. He has all the ingredients that you need for a successful career and to become a great driver.
“For a rookie, he’s already advanced and doing a very good job.”
“He’s been in the points a few times now, which is good for us – and I think there’s still more to come from him.”
Audi have good foundations to build upon
Headlines about Sauber (and by extension, Audi) have been overwhelmingly positive since the Spanish GP update package.
This is for good reason, with the Swiss team fighting for 5th in the constructors Championship and on track for one of their best F1 campaigns in recent history.
Of course, their mid-season resurgence does not take away some of the medium-term obstacles they face.
There are big question marks surrounding the Audi engine and its competitiveness in 2026.
As a new manufacturer in F1, Audi are playing catch-up to more experienced and seasoned manufacturers.
Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto have both admitted this, signalling caution ahead of the new regulations.
Audi recognise their F1 project will be exactly that – a project.
Although it will be important to show progress in a reasonable time-frame, Sauber can be satisfied that their driver partnership will optimise the machinery given to them.
Main photo: Andy Hone/LAT Images (via Sauber media gallery)
