Gabriel Bortoleto explains why he ranks Max Verstappen ‘among the greatest’ with Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher

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Max Verstappen and Gabriel Bortoleto’s friendship began during the Brazilian’s Formula 3 days and has blossomed into a mentorship with his arrival in F1 with Sauber.

Verstappen started alongside Bortoleto at the Hungarian Grand Prix after both drivers qualified on the fourth row of the grid.

The Brazilian went on to secure a career-best sixth-place finish at the Hungaroring, also marking the first time he beat the four-time world champion on track.

Bortoleto owes part of his seat at Sauber to Verstappen after the Dutchman rated him very highly to the current Sauber team principal and former Red Bull director, Jonathan Wheatley.

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Gabriel Bortoleto thinks there ‘will never be anyone’ like Ayrton Senna in F1 again

Speaking in an interview with Globo Sports, Bortoleto was asked about who his heroes in Formula 1 are, to which he gave a nod towards Verstappen and fellow Brazilian Ayrton Senna, saying, “My idol was always Ayrton Senna.

“He always will be. Being Brazilian, growing up, hearing stories, as a driver, the guy was just exceptional and way ahead of his time. And for me, I think there will never be anyone like him.

“I think the current generation, and it’s not just my opinion, but even from people who raced with Senna at that time, big drivers from back then say that because of the evolution of the technology we have in Formula 1 today, we can improve our driving a lot.

“We are much more into the details nowadays than maybe it was 30 years ago, because we have way more technology to study the details.”

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Max Verstappen is one of ‘the best in history’ according to Gabriel Bortoleto

That discussion led him onto the topic of Verstappen, who he places in the same category as Senna, continuing, “With Max, I think he has the driving style, the study of telemetry, all that.

“When you see one of his pole laps, it’s something that comes very close to perfection. So that’s why I put him at that level. I really think he’s one of the best in history.

“A four-time world champion. How many people are four-time world champions? Very few were as dominant as he was over the years. And that’s my opinion. I don’t think I’m comparing him to anyone.

“I just think it’s really a matter of him being among the greatest in the world, in the history of Formula 1. Top three for sure, along with Senna, Hamilton, Schumacher, with those guys who were great.”

Verstappen has shown shades of Senna in the past, with McLaren chief Zak Brown recently highlighting the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix as one of the Dutchman’s performances that was Senna-esque.