Helmut Marko’s pre-season Gabriel Bortoleto verdict looks increasingly foolish after the Hungarian Grand Prix

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At the start of the season, many fans were intrigued about how Gabriel Bortoleto was going to fare at Sauber.

Last year, Sauber were by far the slowest team on the grid, and only an impressive performance from Zhou Guanyu at the Qatar Grand Prix prevented the Swiss outfit from finishing the campaign without scoring a point.

The team, which will become Audi in 2026, decided a change was needed and both Zhou and Valtteri Bottas were dropped at the end of the season.

Haas desperately wanted to keep Nico Hulkenberg, but he signed early in the 2024 season; however, the second seat was left unoccupied for months.

Nico Hulkenberg was eventually joined by Gabriel Bortoleto, who was released from his McLaren junior contract after winning the Formula 2 championship.

There was plenty of intrigue surrounding the young Brazilian, as he had done virtually no F1 testing and wasn’t expected to be on the grid in 2025.

Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko was asked about his opinions on all the rookies.

At the halfway stage of the season, the opinionated Austrian’s take on Bortoleto is already looking wide of the mark.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know

Helmut Marko wrong to call Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto a ‘B-tier’ F1 driver

Marko was asked about every F1 rookie by ServusTV, and when speaking about Bortoleto, he said: “I’d rate him a B driver.

“He’s a very intelligent racer – he won the Formula 3 championship [in 2023], but with only one victory. He tends to stay out of trouble.

“In Formula 2, he had only two wins. He’s a driver who brings the car home, has a solid grasp of strategy and tyre management, but I don’t see that ultimate speed in him.”

Marko gave an ‘A’ grade to Isack Hadjar, while he suggested Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the most talented driver to arrive on the grid since Max Verstappen.

He also stated that Oliver Bearman was a ‘standout’, but as Bortoleto was described as a generational talent by Fernando Alonso after the Hungarian Grand Prix, it’s hard to argue that any of that trio of drivers is a level above the Brazilian right now.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko? Everything to know

How Gabriel Bortoleto responded to Helmut Marko’s ‘B-tier’ driver claim

Speaking to the press, via Autosport, after Marko’s comments, Bortoleto delivered the perfect response.

He said: “I don’t care. I’ve seen that and I love challenges.

“Hearing that from Helmut – he’s a guy who has put a lot of talent in Formula 1 and has put a lot of wrong talents in F1. So, you can see he got it right and wrong, and hopefully, I will prove him wrong.

“But nothing I say now in the media will change his mind – just my results on track. I’m sure I’ll prove him wrong at some point, and hopefully, he will admit this.

“For now, I’m just focusing on doing my job and improving and doing the best I can. I’m proud of what I did in the junior series, and I won in F2 and F3 against the Red Bull drivers he has, so good for me.”

Hulkenberg currently sits 23 points above Bortoleto in the drivers’ championship, although his remarkable British Grand Prix podium finish has warped how big the gap is between the two drivers.

The Brazilian is beating his far more experienced teammate in their qualifying head-to-head, but just needs a bit more luck in race scenarios to score the points he thoroughly deserves.