AUSTIN — Gabriel Bortoleto has experienced both the highs and the lows of life on the Formula 1 grid.
The second-year driver is part of one of the grid’s newest projects, a driver for an Audi team that debuted as a works operation for the 2026 season. But a year ago, Bortoleto was driving alongside Nico Hülkenberg at Sauber, for that team’s final year on the grid. During that season, Bortoleto enjoyed a strong run of form midway through the campaign, finishing in the points in four of six races stretching from Austria to Monza.
While this year began with a points finish at the Australian Grand Prix, Bortoleto has finished inside the top ten just twice since then, with a P8 at the British Grand Prix followed by a P8 at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Yet, while the results are not where he would like them to be, there is a “beauty” in the journey according to the Brazilian driver.
“Obviously I want to be winning races but at the same time, there is a beauty of what I’m doing right now that is building a project, you know,” said Bortoleto to the media, including SB Nation, on Thursday at the United States Grand Prix.
“I’m sure everyone wants to see results straight away and win races. I’m happy for Kimi [Antonelli], for example. We have been racing in F2 together and now the guy is about to win, he’s gonna win, the world title this year. And for sure it’s a big thing, you know. You achieve your lifetime goal, that is, being a Formula One world champion. But I think every one of us has their own journey, so I would take mine as that’s it, you know, and I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and I’m building a cool project with a brand that has been successful in the sport in all the categories they have been part of.
And you know, one day I’m going to be able to tell the story that when we got to the grid we were the worst team in the championship standings by 2024, and then we brought this team to win races.
“I think that’s a cool story to be able to tell one day, but there’s a lot of work to be done to be able to tell this story, so obviously I want to fight for wins and podiums as soon as possible. That’s my main goal and we’re working on that.”
As for Audi’s chances at the United States Grand Prix, Bortoleto admitted that he did not want to be in the business of making predictions — as he’s been wrong in the past this year — but that the Circuit of the Americas should be a good track for him and the team.
“I think I stopped trying to predict when we’re good or bad because I think every time I said something, it was the opposite. So honestly, look, it should be a good track at the end of the day. You know, there’s a lot of cornering on this track, high speeds, medium speeds, a few low-speed [corners], so it’s a track that, you know, it can put our car in a position to perform,” began Bortoleto.
“But there is always something new when we drive, you know. There is always some big lessons and some interesting things when we hit a new track with these new regulations of cars. I’m sure it’s for everyone, not only for us.
“So yeah, I hope it will be a good weekend. I hope we will have a performance to deliver, and I believe we will.
“So let’s work on that.”
That process starts on Friday for Bortoleto.
But the journey will continue far beyond the first day of the 2026 United States Grand Prix.
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