Sauber F1 rookie Gabriel Bortoleto delivered the best qualifying performance of his young F1 career at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday, securing P8 on the grid for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix – and the Brazilian believes it’s a clear sign that his hard work and growing confidence are finally paying off.
While teammate Nico Hülkenberg endured a tough session and will start from the back of the grid, Bortoleto impressed by reaching Q3 for the first time and beating fellow rookie Kimi Antonelli.
His lap time left him just two-tenths shy of four-time world champion Max Verstappen, signaling a significant step forward in his development.
“It feels like things are clicking”
Bortoleto, who has yet to score points this season, said he’s felt at ease at Spielberg all weekend – and attributes that feeling to growing familiarity with both his Sauber car and the F1 environment.
“I feel like the track is very special for me,” said Bortoleto, who took his maiden F2 win at the Red Bull Ring in 2024.
“I'm getting more and more experienced with the car and the team and the series. It's just the beginning. It's not even half of this season for me.
©Sauber
“I've been working very hard and understanding what I need from my side, from the car, and I feel like I'm getting more and more comfortable with it and that I know what I need before even the weekend starts.
“I feel like it's the first weekend that I'm that comfortable since FP1. It feels like things are clicking for me and I'm going in the right direction.”
More Confident with the Car
Sauber brought updates to Austria, including a new floor and a high-downforce rear wing. But while the upgrades certainly helped, Bortoleto believes the breakthrough is more a reflection of his growing maturity in the sport.
“I feel like I'm getting more confident with the car,” he explained. “Not only from the upgrades, but also myself and [the] understanding.
Austrian Grand Prix - Qualifying results“At the beginning of the season, when you jump in the car, it's basically a different feeling. It's like every single FP1, you don't know how the car is going to behave.
“But then when you get used to the car more and more, you start putting it in the limits earlier in the weekend and you work more on yourself on the driving, on the set up, and I feel like we have been going in this direction this week.”
Aggressive from the Outset but also Wise
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Bortoleto said his strong grid position won't make him overly cautious. He plans to race aggressively – but wisely – against realistic rivals.
“It [the grid position] doesn't change so much. My approach for the start, I'm going to try to do the best start possible [and] gain some positions,” he explained.
“If I cannot gain, I'm going to try to keep there and try to make the best race pace I can to score points tomorrow.”
©Sauber
“Obviously it makes no sense in fighting with people you cannot stay ahead of. But for sure I'm a racer, I'm going to try to gain the positions early in the race and see what happens.
“But I'm not going to be focusing on overtaking people that I know that probably have better pace than me like Verstappen because it will probably just destroy your tyres. Just focusing on people we actually [are competing against].”
Bortoleto’s measured approach, combined with increasing confidence and understanding of his car, signals a potential turning point for the Sauber rookie as he chases his first Formula 1 points.
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Bortoleto: Red Bull Ring Q3 breakthrough a sign 'things are clicking' F1i.com.
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