What Gabriel Bortoleto did in private McLaren test that no rookie has ever done before

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Gabriel Bortoleto is hoping to become the latest rookie to join the 2025 Formula 1 grid. The McLaren junior is a contender to partner Nico Hulkenberg at Audi.

F2 rivals Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli have already signed F1 deals with Haas and Mercedes respectively. Jack Doohan, who raced in the series in 2023, is to graduate from his reserve role at Alpine too.

Liam Lawson could make a full-time debut with RB, and Audi are weighing up whether to go for youth or experience at Sauber. The incumbent Valtteri Bottas is still hopeful of an extension.

With Hulkenberg signed, boss Mattia Binotto may be open to taking a risk with the second seat. Bortoleto is also battling Franco Colapinto, the Williams driver who replaced Logan Sargeant until the end of the season.

Bortoleto took the lead of the F2 championship in Baku last weekend as Red Bull talent Isack Hadjar failed to score. He now faces a nervy wait before the season resumes in Qatar at the end of November.

The finale will then take place a week later in Abu Dhabi. Bortoleto has won two races so far, including a spectacular back-to-front triumph at Monza.

Gabriel Bortoleto out-paced all other rookies in McLaren test

According to Brazilian outlet Grande Premio, Bortoleto ‘impressed’ the McLaren management with his performance in a recent test. As is permitted under the regulations, the teenager drove the 2022 car at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

He apparently set quicker lap times ‘than any rookie before’, including the newly-crowned IndyCar champion Alex Palou. Palou took part in the opening practice session for the US GP in 2022.

McLaren are ready to release Bortoleto on a two-year loan deal. Come 2026, they want him back in case they need a replacement for either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.

Audi, however, will have gathered information on his Spielberg outing. They’re determined to sign him for four years, which is currently the main issue in negotiations.

Rubens Barrichello shares key advice for Audi hopeful Gabriel Bortoleto

Few countries can rival Brazil when it comes to history in Formula 1. The nation boasts legends like Nelson Piquet, Emerson Fittipaldi and, of course, Ayrton Senna.

But Brazil hasn’t been represented on the F1 grid since 2016, when Felipe Nasr completed his second and final season for Sauber. Bortoleto could be the driver to change that.

Another legendary compatriot has offered him some timely advice. Rubens Barrichello says Bortoleto must not change in the unfamiliar spotlight, because he’d risk disrupting a successful formula.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso manages Bortoleto and he believes it’s a ‘matter of time’ before he lands a seat. McLaren colleague Piastri shows that a season on the sidelines between F2 and F1 isn’t necessarily an issue.