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Gabriel Bortoleto has admitted that his relationship with ‘mentor’ Max Verstappen hasn’t changed since he joined the F1 grid due to the Red Bull ace not seeing him as a ‘threat’.
Since joining the grid ahead of last year’s campaign, Gabriel Bortoleto has opened up on his relationship with Max Verstappen on numerous occasions.
The four-time world champion played a part in Bortoleto’s step up to F1 after his title-winning F2 campaign in 2024, and they have remained close confidantes into the Brazilian driver’s tenure in the category.
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Also managed by two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, the young Brazilian has two of the most well-versed drivers on the grid when it comes to wheel-to-wheel combat, and he has continued to thrive under their guidance.
In such a high-adrenaline and ultra-competitive sport, friends on the grid can be fairly hard to come by, which has led Bortoleto to predict that his relationship with Verstappen would be much different if they were both competing at the front of the grid.
Gabriel Bortoleto explains why his relationship with Max Verstappen ‘hasn’t changed’ since joining F1
During an appearance on the Pit Stop podcast, Bortoleto was asked for an update on his relationship with the four-time world champion.
The 21-year-old began by noting Verstappen as ‘a bit of a mentor’ for him in the sport, highlighting how he has been an ally in his corner since Bortoleto was competing in the Formula 3 championship.
“I see Max as a bit of a mentor in my career, not only from F1, but I mean before F1, when I was in F3, he used to help me a lot already,” Bortoleto said. “He hasn’t changed a single thing since I joined F1.
“He keeps helping me, he keeps answering all my questions and doubts. Obviously, we are competing against each other right now, but the guy has achieved so much in his career.
“He’s not seeing me as a threat to him, you know, we’re not fighting for a title. We are both in a position where we’re not there yet.
“I’m sure the day we fight for a title, he may be different, but he has been a good friend to me in the last few years. Also, outside of the track, we have good times, and it’s great.”
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The Audi F1 star then touched upon his relationship with a driver who he sees a lot more of under racing conditions: Oliver Bearman.
He added, “It’s great also with Ollie. He’s another good friend of mine, but that’s a bit different.
“We are the same age, in a similar position in our careers, so we don’t really talk about racing so much to each other, but we spend a good time outside of racing with our girlfriends as well, so it’s great.”
Gabriel Bortoleto could be a potential replacement for Max Verstappen at Red Bull
Due to Verstappen’s frustrations with the 2026 ruleset, the 28-year-old has been tipped to make a potential exit from the sport at the end of the year, either in the capacity of a sabbatical or even retirement.
As such, Red Bull will need to act quickly to fill the four-time world champion’s void, and Bortoleto is considered a potential replacement for him.
Prior to his step up to F1, Verstappen told Red Bull to ‘keep an eye’ on Bortoleto due to how highly he rated his drives during the Brazilian’s climb up the single-seater ladder.
Bortoleto’s contract with Audi is understood to expire at the end of the current term, which certainly opens the door for him to move across the pit-lane to the Milton Keynes-based F1 outfit’s set-up if the opportunity presents itself.
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