In Austria, McLaren driver brings Brazil to the top step of the podium.

The seventh round of the F2 World Championship concluded this Sunday (30). On the Red Bull Ring track in Austria, Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto, who started from third place, had an impeccable race and, with a very strong pace, won his first race of the season.

Bortoleto’s weekend began on Friday with the free practice and qualifying sessions. During practice, while running some tests, the driver already knew he had a competitive car for the weekend, clocking a time of 1m16s887 to secure sixth place. In the qualifying session, held hours later, the young driver from São Paulo registered very fast laps and even led at one point. However, in the final tire run, he was surpassed by just a tenth and secured third place for the Feature Race, which was to be held on Sunday. With the top 10 inversion for the Sprint Race grid, scheduled for Saturday, Bortoleto secured eighth place.

Facing a very fast track and the challenges of high temperatures, Gabriel headed to the first race. After a good start, the McLaren F1 development driver maintained eighth place and followed the leading pack. With a very strong pace, Gabriel waited for the DRS authorization to begin his recovery. Utilizing his experience and a well-tuned car, the Brazilian managed tire wear. With boldness and precision, he climbed four positions and, at the end of the 28 laps, crossed the finish line in fourth place, putting strong pressure on the third-place finisher. With this result, he added another 5 points to the Championship, bringing his total to 60 points on the table.

THE FIRST VICTORY

Aware that he had an extremely fast car, Gabriel took the track today in search of his first victory. After a perfect start, Bortoleto positioned himself behind the leader and took just three laps to take the lead. With a strong pace and super soft tires, the Brazilian used his strategy to build the largest possible lead before the mandatory pit stop.

After eight laps, Gabriel made his pit stop, switching to soft compound tires. These more durable tires were supposed to last until the end of the race. With an impressive pace, the Brazilian driver began to impose consistently fast laps, quickly catching up to opponents with different tire strategies. With the same determination always shown by Gabriel, he climbed past his competitors with precise overtakes and, most importantly, without making mistakes. After 40 laps, with a lead of over four seconds to the second-place finisher, Bortoleto secured his victory—the first in the F2 World Championship.

This competition weekend marked exactly halfway through the Championship. After seven rounds,
Gabriel Bortoleto took third place in the standings, with 85 points, 30 behind leader Paul Aron and 21 behind second-place Isac Hadjar.

The F2 World Championship continues next weekend at Silverstone, England. The eighth round of the competition will be held there, opening the second half of the season.

“I have no words to express my joy at this moment. I started the year on pole position, we had some problems, but I always had full support from McLaren and my team. Achieving my first F2 win brings an incredible feeling and, more importantly, puts me back in direct fight for the title. There are 14 races left in the season, and I feel like I’m at my best to really fight for more victories. I thank my sponsors, fans from all over who have always supported me on social media, Invicta Racing for the perfect car this weekend, and of course, McLaren for all the support, attention, and teachings. Let’s go to Silverstone next week, we’ll give it our all again,” celebrated the 19-year-old Brazilian.

Pictures: James Gasperotti