Gabriel Bortoleto said that Max Verstappen has \u201chelped so much\u201d throughout his career, even when it came to his racing \u201ccontracts\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bortoleto revealed that one of the career decisions which he got Verstappen\u2019s advice on was signing with McLaren. Bortoleto won the Formula 2 title as a McLaren-backed driver, and went on to sign with Sauber, which becomes Audi for F1 2026.<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen advised Bortoleto on McLaren contract<\/p>\n
Bortoleto went back-to-back by winning the 2023 Formula 3 and 2024 Formula 2 crowns.<\/p>\n
Under Fernando Alonso\u2019s A14 management stable, Bortoleto signed as a McLaren junior off the back of his F3 title win.<\/p>\n
It turns out that Verstappen<\/a> offered his advice to Bortoleto on signing that contract.<\/p>\n With no McLaren seat available for 2025, Bortoleto signed with Sauber and impressed in his rookie campaign.<\/p>\n Alongside teammate Nico Hulkenberg, he transitions into the Audi F1 era from 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cI have had a great friendship with Max for a long time already,\u201d Bortoleto told RacingNews365.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe it\u2019s exposed now in the media, because you guys see me with him, going around, sometimes doing some live streams, playing games and stuff.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, we have got closer and closer in Formula 1 because we are racing together, and we spend a lot of time together, and he is a great guy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat many people don\u2019t know is that he has helped me so much throughout my career, even when I was in the junior formulas.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m used to asking him a lot about things, even my own contracts, when I was still in the junior series. When I was about to sign for McLaren, I asked him for his opinion. When I was about to join Sauber, I also asked him about it.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has been involved, even if people don\u2019t really know about it, in a way that he has always been able to help me if I had any questions.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was not telling me what to do, but he was giving me his opinion about things on questions I asked him, and that\u2019s very nice of him because he doesn\u2019t really need to do that.<\/p>\n \u201cBut he has always been very nice and open with me. So we have created this thing, and it\u2019s cool. We have practised together in the sim, and he helps me a lot.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully, I have helped him as well. I try to push him, but I definitely have a lot more to learn from him than him from me.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Max Verstappen from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \u2018Only driver who can compete with Verstappen\u2019 named, and it\u2019s not Norris<\/a><\/p>\n Could Max Verstappen\u2019s next decision factor in Charles Leclerc\u2019s future?<\/a><\/p>\n It turns out that Verstappen was also putting in a good word for Bortoleto at Red Bull.<\/p>\n Time will tell whether we see a Verstappen and Bortoleto partnership on the F1 grid at any stage.<\/p>\n \u201cI already said to the team before you [Bortoleto] even got to Formula 1, \u2018keep an eye on Gabi,\u2019\u201d said Verstappen on the Pelas Pistas podcast. \u201cBut now we\u2019re all here, and let\u2019s just see how it evolves.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, first of all, I don\u2019t even know how long I\u2019m going to do myself. I have a contract until \u201928, but after that, nothing is agreed on or what. I don\u2019t even know myself.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I hope, let\u2019s say, in general, I just hope for Gabi, that he gets an opportunity within the next three, four years, of course, to be really competitive in the front and fight for podiums and then, if that\u2019s in the same team, I mean, even better, because that means that we are both fighting for the best positions.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n