Gabriel Bortoleto describes the ‘mentality’ Jonathan Wheatley has brought to Sauber from Red Bull

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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.

Wheatley departed from Red Bull in August last year, after spending 18 successful years in various leadership roles at a team that won six constructors’ championships during his time there.

Sauber has climbed up the F1 pecking order in recent months, with Nico Hulkenberg‘s podium at Silverstone serving as the highlight for the team. Hulkenberg etched himself in the Sauber history books with the result, as the only driver for the team to finish on the podium after starting from P19 on the grid.

The team currently find themselves in seventh place in the constructors’ standings, just a point shy of Aston Martin in sixth. If they are able to best the Silverstone-based team over the remaining races of the season, they will match their 2022 and 2012 finishes as the best for 17 years.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Audi/Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley? All to know

Gabriel Bortoleto highlights the success Jonathan Wheatley has had in restructuring the 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.”

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

Gabriel Bortoleto has now found his footing in the upgraded Sauber C45

Despite his position of 17th in the drivers’ standings, Bortoleto has been one of the most exciting rookies on the grid this season. The Hungarian Grand Prix was his best performance yet.

Bortoleto received plaudits from Bernie Ecclestone after the race that saw him score a career-best P6 finish after qualifying ahead of Max Verstappen to start alongside him on the fourth row of the grid.

The Brazilian kept his nerve with the four-time world champion in his rear-view mirrors to also beat him for the first time this season. Bortoleto thinks very highly of Verstappen, stating that his on-track rival deserves to be put in the same category as the likes of Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

Bortoleto now has just 10 rounds remaining of the 2025 F1 season in which he will be hoping to add to his current points tally and climb into a higher position in the drivers’ championship.