Emerson Fittipaldi says Gabriel Bortoleto is facing the same issue that hurt Franco Colapinto last year

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Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto had a debut home race to forget at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Hundreds of thousands of Brazilian fans descended on Interlagos to celebrate the return of one of their own to the grid in Gabriel Bortoleto.

Sauber hired the Formula 2 champion ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu at the end of last year, and so far, the 21-year-old has repaid that faith.

Bortoleto has a better qualifying record than teammate Nico Hulkenberg, although he’s 24 points behind his more experienced teammate in the drivers’ championship.

Damon Hill still thinks Bortoleto has ‘more to prove’, and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix wouldn’t have helped his cause after he had two huge accidents.

Bortoleto nearly took out Alex Albon in the Sprint Race after being sent flying through the air at turn one, before ending up in the barriers following contact with Lance Stroll on the opening lap of Sunday’s race.

Brazilian F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi has now given his verdict on Bortoleto and compared his struggles at Interlagos to what Alpine driver Franco Colapinto faced during his debut season.

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

Gabriel Bortoleto dealing with the same domestic media pressure as Franco Colapinto

Fittipaldi spoke to Infobae about Bortoleto’s maiden F1 season, and he said: “He’s very good. So far, he’s had a great year.

“Unfortunately, he had that accident here. He arrived a little late, with his spoiler down.”

The two-time world champion then spoke about Colapinto and continued: “He is a driver who has won in every category. He is very fast and getting better and better in F1.

“I hope his car improves, because today the car is more important than the driver. He is very good.

“Last year, he was under a lot of pressure from the Argentine press because they talked a lot, and it happened a little bit here with Gabriel.

“They are very young guys, and they have the pressure of a whole country behind them. What Colapinto felt last year, Gabriel is feeling now.

“In Argentina, they are all over Colapinto, and in Brazil, they are all over Gabriel. It’s the pressure that an athlete has.

“It’s difficult. When you’re very young, it’s very difficult, but Colapinto is talented and has won many races.”

READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know

Gabriel Bortoleto tipped for future Formula 1 success as Audi set 2030 championship goal

Bortoleto has already secured a contract for 2026 when Sauber will become the Audi works team.

Colapinto has also signed a new one-year deal with Alpine; however, this is unlikely to lessen the pressure that either driver faces from fans in their home countries.

Audi have set their sights on challenging for the championship in 2030, but whether Bortoleto will still be there is another matter.

Ted Kravitz suggests that top teams are already looking at Bortoleto, and the influence of Fernando Alonso in his management team won’t harm negotiations.

The Brazilian is unlikely to be joined by any of his fellow countrymen immediately, although there is excitement at Ferrari about the new Formula 3 champion, Rafael Camara.

F1 Oversteer understands Alonso could be angling for Bortoleto to eventually replace him at Aston Martin, which would be a logical next step for the 21-year-old.