This weekend, the Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg, Austria, hosted the 11th round of the Formula 1 World Championship. Competing in his rookie season in the premier category of global motorsport, Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto delivered his best performance so far and, for the first time, scored his first championship points.

Bortoleto entered Formula 1 with outstanding credentials, having secured back-to-back titles in F3 and F2 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Now racing with the Stake F1 Team | Kick Sauber, the 20-year-old has been making the most of a season full of learning opportunities. Since the team introduced setup upgrades at the Barcelona round, lap times have shown steady improvement. Two weeks ago, the championship visited Canada for its 10th round and arrived in Austria this weekend with further updates—particularly focused on aerodynamics.

Bortoleto adapted quickly to the car, standing out from the start of the weekend compared to previous rounds. On Friday, he impressed during both free practice sessions, finishing sixth and eighth, respectively. In total, the driver completed 66 laps around the fast-paced Styrian circuit.

On Saturday, again feeling confident in the car, Bortoleto reached Q3 for the first time in his career during qualifying. With a lap time of 1:05.132, he secured eighth place on the starting grid for Sunday’s race.

A Thrilling Race

Sunday’s race confirmed that the Stake F1 Team | Kick Sauber has indeed reached a new level of competitiveness. Gabriel made an excellent start, jumping up to sixth place. However, while avoiding a collision, he was forced off-track and rejoined in eighth.

With great focus, the Brazilian delivered a consistent race, executing a solid pit-stop strategy. He gained positions throughout the race, made key overtakes, and after two flawless pit stops, maintained strong pace in the final laps. In the last two laps, Gabriel engaged in a fierce battle with Fernando Alonso for seventh place but ultimately gave up the position so both could avoid being lapped by the race leaders. After completing 70 laps, Bortoleto crossed the line in eighth, scoring his first 4 points in the championship.

“What a race! I am emotional about scoring my first points in Formula 1, especially with Nico finishing just behind me—so we both scored for the team. It was an incredible race—super intense from start to finish, and I am really proud of what we achieved today together as a team. The pace was strong, the strategy worked perfectly, and the whole team did an amazing job. We got a great result this weekend, stayed cool-headed throughout, and I finally scored my first points. This shows how much progress we have made and what we are capable of when everything comes together. But this is just the beginning: for me, it is about continuing to push, keep improving, and aim for even bigger results. The battle with Alonso at the end was fun—he did not make it easy! But today was really about the team and taking this important step forward together,” said the Brazilian driver, who is sponsored by Banco BRB, KitKat, Porto, and Motorola by Snapdragon.

The Formula 1 World Championship returns next weekend. From July 4–6, the iconic Silverstone Circuit in England will host round 12 of the 2025 season, marking the halfway point of the championship.

Pictures: Disclosure

Press office of Gabriel Bortoleto
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick