But the German has had his work cut out against his rookie teammate. Bortoleto<\/a> has been regularly outqualifying Hulkenberg<\/a>, with Q3 appearances almost becoming a normality in recent races.<\/p>\n RANKDRIVERTEAMPOINTS1Lando NorrisMcLaren252Oscar PiastriMcLaren183George RussellMercedes154Charles LeclercFerrari125Fernando AlonsoAston Martin106Gabriel BortoletoSauber87Lance StrollAston Martin68Liam LawsonRacing Bulls49Max VerstappenRed Bull210Kimi AntonelliMercedes1<\/p>\n 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<\/a> as he went P7 in qualifying, beating defending four-time champion and close friend Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cBortoleto struggled badly in the first two practice sessions, describing him as \u2018zero comfortable\u2019 in the car. The team decided to bust the Friday night curfew, allowing operational personnel to work beyond 10 pm,\u201d he said via The Race.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery team can do this twice a season and Sauber\u2019s decision to play its first joker in Hungary allowed it to work on reliability problems and fix balance issues.<\/p>\n \u201cBortoleto 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.\u201d<\/p>\n This is something that seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton<\/a> has done throughout 2025 as he looks to get accustomed to his new surroundings with Ferrari<\/a> at Maranello. Hamilton had been working long hours<\/a> during the winter, starting early and finishing late at the factory to integrate himself.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know<\/a><\/p>\n It is no surprise that Bortoleto and Sauber\u2019s performances in 2025 have drawn attention. The Brazilian has helped guide the team from the bottom of the constructors\u2019 championship into serious midfield contenders.<\/p>\n Berne Ecclestone says Bortoleto is \u2018worth his weight in gold\u2019<\/a>, stating how glad he was that the Brazilian made it to the F1 grid. Verstappen had been telling people in F1 about Bortoleto<\/a> before he signed with Sauber, imploring them to give him a chance.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>; the Aston Martin driver finished P5 ahead of his protege in Hungary.<\/p>\n![\"Lewis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2227606267-1024x683.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Sauber](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2227606508-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Nicolas Economou\/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesGabriel Bortoleto has received extremely high praise for his Hungarian Grand Prix performance<\/p>\n