Felipe Massa tells Gabriel Bortoleto how Brazil feels about him signing for Sauber

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Audi has made Gabriel Bortoleto the first Brazilian with a permanent seat in Formula 1 since 2016 by signing him for Sauber, and Felipe Massa feels Brazil has a clear stance.

Brazil has a fantastic, rich history in Formula 1 and has offered many world champions in the past. But the South American nation has been starved of a hero for seasons, with Massa still the last Brazilian to fight for a title. Lewis Hamilton edged the Sao Paulo native back in 2008.

Massa was the 24th Brazilian to step foot on a Formula 1 grid when he debuted with Sauber at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix. Melbourne will also see Bortoleto become Brazil’s 34th F1 driver when he debuts for Sauber at the 2024 Australian GP as Nico Hulkenberg’s teammate.

Felipe Massa tells Gabriel Bortoleto ‘Brazil is smiling again’ after signing with Sauber

Bortoleto has just signed a multi-year contract with Audi to debut in F1 with Sauber in 2025. Audi convinced the 20-year-old to leave his position in the McLaren Driver Academy, having decided that Valtteri Bottas nor Zhou Guanyu merited new contracts before their deals end.

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

Inbound Haas pilot Hulkenberg and Bortoleto will shape Sauber’s driver line-up in the Swiss team’s final season before becoming Audi’s factory entry in 2026. Having a Brazilian back in Formula 1 also delights Massa, who has messaged Bortoleto to note ‘Brazil is smiling again’.

“Congratulations little brother,” Massa captioned his Instagram Stories post. “You deserve it so much! Brazil is smiling again! Good luck, good work and may God enlighten you.”

Sauber ran Brazil’s last permanent F1 driver Felipe Nasr in 2015 and 2016

Sauber even ran the last Brazilian with a permanent place on the F1 grid with Felipe Nasr in 2016. The Brasilia native entered 39 Grands Prix for the Swiss team over two seasons with a best finish of P5 on debut in Australia. Now, Bortoleto will hope he can achieve much more.

Nasr only lasted the 2015 and 2016 seasons with Sauber after scoring two points in his final year on the grid. Brazil has since only seen Pietro Fittipaldi enter F1 Grands Prix with his two cameos at Haas in 2020 following Romain Grosjean’s fireball crash in that year’s Bahrain GP.

READ MORE: F1 2025 driver line-up with every team’s confirmed entry for the grid

It was not through a lack of skill that Nasr struggled to shine in F1 after fighting for the 2014 GP2 Series title and going on to win three top-tier titles in IMSA since leaving Sauber. Junior success also sits with Bortoleto as the 2023 Formula 3 champion and 2024 F2 series leader.

Audi has signed Bortoleto to race for Sauber in 2025 after winning the 2023 F3 title whilst a rookie and fighting for the 2024 F2 crown on debut. He tops the Formula 2 standings by 4.5 points with two rounds to go after taking Feature Race wins at the Red Bull Ring and Monza.