The Formula 1 World Championship made its first 2025 stop in the Middle East this weekend. At the Bahrain International Circuit in Manama, the 20 drivers competing in the premier motorsport series took to the track for what proved to be the most thrilling round of the season so far.
Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, racing for Stake F1 Team | Kick Sauber, arrived in high spirits. In the previous two years, competing in F3 and F2 respectively, he achieved impressive results including a pole position and race win.
His weekend began with two free practice sessions on Friday. Bortoleto completed 48 laps in total, finishing FP1 in 11th and FP2 in 13th place.
“Today was a positive day for us. FP1 was quite challenging, with high temperatures and a very dusty track, which made balance management difficult at times. The team did a great job ahead of FP2, and we were able to make solid improvements to the setup – an effort I would like to thank everyone in the garage for. The car felt much more consistent, and I was pleased with the performance we were able to extract,” explained the 20-year-old from São Paulo.
Saturday featured one more practice session and qualifying. Bortoleto, with a less competitive performance compared to the previous day, finished 18th in both the final practice and qualifying, being eliminated in Q1.
“It was a tough qualifying for us. The conditions changed a lot with the wind, and unfortunately, our car is very sensitive to those variables. I felt the lap I did was decent, but we lacked grip and, in the end, we couldn’t make it to Q2. After a promising Friday, I was hoping to reach Q2 today, so it’s disappointing. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we know it will be a challenging race, but we will give it our all. We will stay focused and try to fight our way up the grid, maximizing every opportunity that comes our way.”
Lack of grip prevents Gabriel from gaining positions
After three races held in the very later night for Brazilian fans, the Bahrain Grand Prix began right at noon (Brasília time), with millions of TVs tuned in across the country. Bortoleto was given the green light for what would be a recovery race.
He maintained his starting position off the line but dropped to 19th in the first corner in order to avoid contact. On the medium compound tires, Bortoleto stuck to his race strategy, staying close to a tightly packed midfield that featured exciting battles in, at least, four groups. He remained on track until lap 13, when he made his first pit stop. The team executed flawlessly, sending him back out on the hard compound tires.
Bortoleto continued in the race and showed some improvement in pace. However, as he approached the cars ahead, he appeared to lack the grip necessary to complete overtaking maneuvers. He remained focused, and on lap 32, he made his second pit stop, switching back to medium tires on car #5. Without a significant improvement in lap times, he stayed in 19th place until the checkered flag at the end of lap 57.
“It was a tough afternoon, but we saw some improvements in pace at certain points. Overtaking was the biggest challenge – as soon as I got close to the car in front, I simply couldn’t find the grip to make a move, especially through the corners. It’s frustrating, especially after the Safety Car restart when I was on mediums against the hard tires of the car ahead. It’s crucial to take time to analyze everything and understand how we can improve our performance. In the short term, the goal is to move past a difficult weekend, take the lessons learned, and focus on Jeddah next weekend, which wraps up this triple header,” concluded the driver, who is supported by Banco BRB, KitKat, Porto, Motorola, and Snapdragon.
Pictures: Stake F1 Team | Kick Sauber
Press office of Gabriel Bortoleto
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick