
McLaren development driver to compete with the team that ended the year with pole position and victory in Abu Dhabi
English team Invicta Virtuosi Racing announced today morning (27) that Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto will be one of its drivers in the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship. Set to have the longest calendar in history, the category will have its first round on March 1 and 2 in Bahrain and will continue with 14 race weekends until December 7 and 8 in Abu Dhabi.
Crowned in September as the FIA F3 champion, Bortoleto was one of the highlights of the global motorsport scene in 2023. The current McLaren F1 development driver secured the current season’s title, displaying great speed and intelligence. He achieved two victories, six podiums, scored in no less than 15 of the 18 races, and claimed the title with a 45-point advantage over the second-placed driver.
For his debut season in Formula 2, Gabriel Bortoleto already has sponsorship from Banco BRB, Porto, and Ebury.
“I am very happy to announce that I will be competing in 2024 with Invicta Virtuosi Racing in Formula 2. They have a winning history in the category, being three-time runner-up teams, and together our goal will be to achieve the best results in each challenge. In 2023, they secured pole positions and victories, including in the last round, and I hope to build a solid and consistent history with them throughout next year,” commented Bortoleto, who will have Indian driver Kush Maini as his teammate.
Gabriel continued, “We will have a new car for next year’s championship, and our first challenge will be to achieve a quick and efficient adaptation to start the season at a high level. I am coming from a season of significant personal growth that culminated in the F3 title. I hope to continue in this process of evolution as a driver and naturally become a victorious driver in this next step of my career,” concluded the 19-year-old.
Andy Roche, director of Invicta Virtuosi Racing, commented on the arrival of their new driver. “We are delighted to have Gabriel Bortoleto joining us for his debut season in Formula 2. His consistency throughout his debut year in Formula 3 impressed everyone and secured him a convincing and thoroughly deserved championship win. This was recognized by the world of F1 when he became a McLaren Development Driver. Gabriel was recently in Norfolk at our headquarters and has been in constant contact with us since his signing. He made a good impression on everyone here and quickly became part of the team. We were impressed with his adaptation to Formula 3, and like everyone else, we are looking forward to seeing what he can do in 2024 as he continues to refine and add to his already admirable set of skills.”
Bortoleto will hit the track this week
After three months of winning the F3 title, Gabriel spent all this time physically preparing and, above all, refining his driving techniques in the simulator. All of this will begin to be put into practice this week when the Brazilian will have his first opportunity to drive a real F2 car.
At the Abu Dhabi track, which hosted the final round of the 2023 Championship over the weekend, Gabriel will have post-season tests on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Even though it is not yet the car he will compete in next year, Bortoleto will have the chance to have his first contact with the category in the car that took pole position and won the feature race this Sunday with Australian driver Jack Doohan.
The activities will be broadcasted with live timing on the Formula 2 website.
Pictures: disclosure
Press office of Gabriel Bortoleto
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick