Gabriel Bortoleto gives the ‘perfect’ reason why Sauber didn’t announce him at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

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The 2025 Formula 1 season will see a full-time Brazilian driver join the grid for the first time since Felipe Massa retired at the end of 2017.

Sauber decided that young Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto was the man to partner Nico Hulkenberg next year.

The 20-year-old has starred in the junior categories that mirror F1’s calendar, earning himself a spot in McLaren’s young driver program on his way to winning the Formula 3 title last year.

Fernando Alonso played a key role in Bortoleto’s move to McLaren and has mentored the youngster this year as he attempts to win back-to-back championships.

Winning Formula 2 in your maiden campaign is always a strong indicator of talent, as the names that have achieved that feat before are prestigious.

F1 race winners Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri all have both titles on their CVs.

However, Piastri’s year-long wait for a race seat shows how hard making that final step can be which is why Bortoleto has jumped at the chance of joining F1’s slowest team.

Bortoleto was interviewed on the F1 Nation Podcast and asked about how his signing came about.

He also explained why Sauber didn’t announce his move while Formula 1 was in Brazil where he would have been able to celebrate the news in front of thousands of excited fans.

Gabriel Bortoleto explains why Sauber move wasn’t announced at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Asked why Sauber waited until after the event at Interlagos, Bortoleto said: “I don’t think it was anything related to media.

“They wanted to do this in front of everyone in Sauber with Mattia there as well because Mattia was not in Brazil.

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

“So I think they wanted to announce [it] for the whole factory before and then that I was able also to visit the factory.

“In the day, I was announced and met everyone and went into every area. I’ve seen the wind tunnel and things.

“So to meet everyone I think was the perfect situation to be announced. In front of everyone in the team, I think it’s better than a race weekend because I was there doing a lot of media stuff.

“So I think it was better, but nothing related to how much people were going to talk in the Brazilian Grand Prix.”

The Fernando Alonso advice Gabriel Bortoleto followed to earn an F1 seat

If a young F1 driver were going to select any current driver to mentor them during their junior career, many of them would select Alonso.

The Spaniard has now passed 400 Grand Prix and is showing no signs of slowing down even if his Aston Martin team are struggling during the second half of this season.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber from team principal to Audi future

Bortoleto followed Alonso’s advice ‘exactly’ to reach F1 and it’s paid off handsomely.

The Brazilian insisted in his F1 Nation interview that he didn’t expect Alonso to simply abandon him now that they’re competing against each other.

However, he’s unlikely to be sharing the best racing lines or where to overtake at each track with someone who could be going wheel-to-wheel with him in just a few months.