Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto and Red Bull's Max Verstappen are close friends outside of Formula 1, with the pair often seen racing together during online gaming sessions. Motorsport.com can confirm that the Brazilian asked the four-time champion how Red Bull grew into a championship-winning team as he looks to apply these learnings to Audi.
This is Bortoleto's second season in the championship and first with Audi as a full works team. He sits 15th in the drivers' standings on 10 points, with Audi eighth in the constructors' standings thanks to his and team-mate Nico Hulkenberg's efforts. The German, in comparison, has scored 13 points.
"I talk to Max often," Bortoleto said. "Obviously, the details stay between us, but we often talk about how I'm feeling, how I'm developing, what I want from Audi and how we're progressing as a team. I ask him questions about what he experienced at Red Bull before winning the world championship: what things were like, how the team worked."
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Those questions often come up mid-sim race. “These are things that sometimes come into my head while we’re playing, so I ask him,” Bortoleto said. He added that gaming is also his way of switching off: “I’m laughing, I’m having fun, it’s not work.”
Bortoleto has strong form. He won the Formula 3 title in 2023 and Formula 2 in 2024, when Isack Hadjar was his closest rival and Kimi Antonelli finished sixth. Those results earned him his F1 seat with Sauber before Audi took over for 2026.
Bortoleto and Verstappen will be back in action at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin.
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