Gabriel Bortoleto won the F2 title as a rookie, a year after doing the same in F3. The Brazilian, who will drive for Stake F1 then Audi, is pleased to have managed to recover after a difficult start to the season.
“I think it's one of the best feelings of my life. It's been a very long season. We've been through a lot since the beginning, where we struggled a lot in Jeddah and in Australia, where I had a very bad accident” Bortoleto said.
“The team never gave up, I never gave up either, and from that moment on I think we deserved every point we got in this championship.”
“We were lucky, but we also created our own luck, with our pace, our work, the overtime we did in the simulation, all the overtime we had, the late nights working on the simulations to find new things to get the car into the right window for the new circuits that were coming up for me and for the team as well.”
“So, yes, it's been a very long season. My progression throughout this season has been the best in my entire life as a driver. I've grown a lot personally and professionally. I've learned a lot. I I've met a lot of new people in my life, who I'm very grateful for, and who helped me win this championship. And I'm very, very proud of that.
He is the fourth driver after Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri to be champion in F3 and F2, being a beginner in both categories: “They are race winners in Formula 1, so it’s a privilege for me to be surrounded by these names.”
“These are drivers who have always inspired me when they were racing in junior series and winning everything, dominating championships as rookies, surprising their F1 teams, securing their place in F1, growing up and winning racing in F1.”
“And that's obviously one of my goals: to represent my country in F1, to win races and hopefully championships one day. So it's incredible to be around these names and to be one of of the rare people who have succeeded in achieving this goal.”
Asked what he will remember from this season, Bortoleto praises the support he received throughout the year and is eager to get started in Formula 1: “From this season I can say that you should never give up, keep pushing and be a leader, don't let the people around you bring you down. I think that's what I learned the most This year.”
“Because in the difficult moments at the start of the season, I had my whole family, the team, my girlfriend, who is here too, the sponsors, the Federation, everyone, everyone in Brazil, the fans who supported me, 'don't be down Gabriel, keep pushing, you can do it, you can win it.'
“And I think that's what I learned the most. You need to be surrounded by good people who can help you achieve your dreams and I hope I can bring that to the team next year and develop it because we know it's a team that's going through a new project at the moment with Audi.”
“So we'll have to develop a lot of things and hopefully I can be a big – I don't think leader is the right word because I'm a beginner, but with Nico [Hülkenberg]we hope to be able to do a very good job and achieve a lot with Audi in the future.”
