Gabriel Bortoleto continued his meteoric rise in Formula 1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix as he recorded his best result to date with sixth.
Sauber have made huge improvements after finishing with just four points in 2024. The Hinwil outfit have benefitted from major upgrades in 2025, with Nico Hulkenberg grabbing his first F1 podium at Silverstone.
But the German has had his work cut out against his rookie teammate. Bortoleto has been regularly outqualifying Hulkenberg, with Q3 appearances almost becoming a normality in recent races.
RANKDRIVERTEAMPOINTS1Lando NorrisMcLaren252Oscar PiastriMcLaren183George RussellMercedes154Charles LeclercFerrari125Fernando AlonsoAston Martin106Gabriel BortoletoSauber87Lance StrollAston Martin68Liam LawsonRacing Bulls49Max VerstappenRed Bull210Kimi AntonelliMercedes1
The Brazilian recorded his first F1 points in Austria with eighth, before finishing ninth at Spa. He continued his form at the Hungarian Grand Prix as he went P7 in qualifying, beating defending four-time champion and close friend Max Verstappen.
Bortoleto passed Lance Stroll at the start and kept pace to finish P6 for Sauber, his best finish in F1 so far. His performance over the weekend was sublime, especially considering the problems he faced on Friday.
Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesGabriel Bortoleto took inspiration from Lewis Hamilton by staying late with Sauber to fix his car in Hungary
The rookie struggled in FP1 and FP2, complaining of a lack of balance and no comfort in the C45. Subsequently, Sauber broke the 10 pm curfew to completely revamp the car, which teams are allowed to do twice a season.
Journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm noted that Bortoleto stayed late with the team to thank them for their efforts, which were ultimately key for his qualifying and race performance.
“Bortoleto struggled badly in the first two practice sessions, describing him as ‘zero comfortable’ in the car. The team decided to bust the Friday night curfew, allowing operational personnel to work beyond 10 pm,” he said via The Race.
“Every team can do this twice a season and Sauber’s decision to play its first joker in Hungary allowed it to work on reliability problems and fix balance issues.
“Bortoleto himself stayed late to ensure he was there to thank his car crew when they finally finished. He also rewarded their effort with a strong weekend, reaching Q3, setting the seventh-fastest time, and not putting a foot wrong on his way to sixth in the race.”
This is something that seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has done throughout 2025 as he looks to get accustomed to his new surroundings with Ferrari at Maranello. Hamilton had been working long hours during the winter, starting early and finishing late at the factory to integrate himself.
With Bortoleto also in a new environment in 2025, the rookie has taken inspiration from the veteran and put in the extra effort to find results. It paid off massively at the Hungaroring, and it will stand him in good stead for the rest of his career.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know
Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesGabriel Bortoleto has received extremely high praise for his Hungarian Grand Prix performance
It is no surprise that Bortoleto and Sauber’s performances in 2025 have drawn attention. The Brazilian has helped guide the team from the bottom of the constructors’ championship into serious midfield contenders.
Berne Ecclestone says Bortoleto is ‘worth his weight in gold’, stating how glad he was that the Brazilian made it to the F1 grid. Verstappen had been telling people in F1 about Bortoleto before he signed with Sauber, imploring them to give him a chance.
It is early days in his career, but he is more than proving his worth as a serious talent. Manager Fernando Alonso claims Bortoleto is the best rookie of his generation; the Aston Martin driver finished P5 ahead of his protege in Hungary.
Excitement will certainly be building at Sauber for the future. They hope to push further up the field with Bortoleto and Hulkenberg when Audi take over in 2026.