Gabriel Bortoleto’s father makes ‘nightmare’ Red Bull claim that suggests Sauber move was the right call

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Gabriel Bortoleto has quietly chipped away during his rookie Formula 1 season for Sauber and is starting to deliver results.

The reigning Formula 2 champion made the bold decision to leave McLaren’s driver academy to secure a long-term deal last season and was a key player in the Formula 1 driver market.

Nearly 12 months on, and Bortoleto has helped Sauber cure many of the issues their car faced when it struggled in 2024.

A car that finished rock bottom of the constructors’ championship is now eighth this year, just 11 points behind sixth.

Bortoleto has revealed Max Verstappen is helping him and that the two share a good friendship, despite having progressed to the top in two very different ways.

Just a few weeks ago, Bortoleto was told he was Cadillac’s best option from the current batch of rookies, but buying him out of his Audi deal would have carried a significant cost.

READ MORE: Fernando Alonso considering exciting Gabriel Bortoleto F1 future decision after superb Sauber start

Gabriel Bortoleto’s father makes ‘nightmare’ Red Bull claim which suggests Sauber was the right move

Bernie Ecclestone has told Ferrari to sign Bortoleto, and went as far as saying that the Italian outfit needs to ‘wake up’.

Even three-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi has been impressed by Bortoleto, who sits above Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in the standings. For a rookie, being in that seat would be a nightmare.

His father recognises that, and actually believes that it would be ‘easier’ to fix the wrongs at Sauber, compared to Red Bull, currently.

“No matter how many things need to be fixed, I’d still say it’s easier to fix things internally at Sauber than to fix the entire car at Red Bull, right?” he told UOL Esporte.

“So, you see, not a single driver who’s there on the team, from the second team, wants to go to the main team, which is Red Bull. Everyone who goes, when they’re invited, people even joke, ‘Look, if he calls, I’ll turn off my phone, I won’t answer.’

“They’re afraid of being invited to go there or receiving an order. Like, look, you’re now going to take Tsunoda’s position, Tsunoda will take your car there, that’s it. This is something that was once a dream and turns into a nightmare.”

READ MORE: One F1 rookie has now made Alpine’s decision to bench Oscar Piastri look even more ‘ludicrous’

Why Gabriel Bortoleto is starting to show his most positive signs in F1 yet

Bortoleto was ‘motivated’ after Nico Hulkenberg’s podium at the British Grand Prix for Sauber, which caught almost everyone completely off-guard.

He retired from that race, but bounced back by achieving his first back-to-back points finish in Belgium and Hungary.

The return from the summer break was tricky for him, but there are nine races for him to build some momentum going into 2026.

With the introduction of Audi, he could be a potent threat for podiums and even victories if they manage to nail the regulations. It could happen to anyone.