Montreal, Canada – Gabriel Bortoleto completed his participation in the Canadian Grand Prix, the 10th round of the Formula 1 World Championship, with a 14th-place finish after a weekend that highlighted his ability to adapt and grow steadily in the world’s premier motorsport category.

The 20-year-old Brazilian faced the challenge of debuting at the iconic Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, where minimal gaps between competitors made every thousandth of a second critical to the final result.

Bortoleto started the weekend with solid pace in the free practice sessions, clocking the 16th-fastest time in FP1 (1:14.324) and improving to 13th in FP2 (1:12.896), demonstrating quick adaptation to the Canadian layout over the course of 62 laps.

“It was a very positive start to our weekend. Being my first time on this track, I was really focused on understanding how Montreal works, and I’m pleased with the very solid session we had,” said the driver after Friday’s practice.

Bittersweet Qualifying

On Saturday, Bortoleto narrowly missed out on Q2—by just seven thousandths of a second—an incredibly slim margin that illustrates the intense competitiveness of today’s grid. The Brazilian finished Q1 in 16th place with a time of 1:12.385.

“I am disappointed not to make it into Q2 today, especially by such a tiny difference. We missed the chance by only seven thousandths, and on a track like this, that’s practically nothing,” Bortoleto reflected. “We still do not have the car to be comfortably there every time, but we are building that step by step, getting closer with each weekend.”

Strong race pace demonstrated

Starting from 15th on the grid, Bortoleto endured a challenging race, coming under pressure early on from theoretically faster cars. The team opted for a bold strategy with a long stint on hard tires, aiming to capitalize on a potential Safety Car appearance. Gabriel managed 48 laps on the same set of tires he started the race with, showcasing excellent tire management. Notably, he spent several laps ahead of significantly faster cars such as Red Bull, Williams, and Alpine. After 70 laps, the Brazilian crossed the finish line in 14th place.

“It was a tough weekend for me, but I am happy to see the team score points again,” said Bortoleto after the race. “I feel there was more potential, but we need to understand what else we can do to start scoring. We have made progress since Barcelona, even though the track did not suit us as much, and I am confident that we are heading in the right direction,” he concluded, already looking ahead to the next challenges on the calendar.

Despite a result that fell short of his personal expectations, Bortoleto remains focused on the steady progression he is shown throughout his rookie season. The Canadian Grand Prix reaffirmed that Gabriel is on a clear upward learning curve, gaining valuable experience at each race while solidifying his status as Brazil’s leading talent in the world of Formula 1.

The F1 World Championship returns to Europe for its next round. The 11th race of the season, the Austrian Grand Prix, will take place from June 27 to 29 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.

Pictures: Stake F1 Team | Kick Sauber

Press office of Gabriel Bortoleto
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick