How Alonso saved this rookie's career: 'Didn't know how hard it was'
F1 News
Gabriel Bortoleto was given the chance, and he certainly made the most of it with back to back F3 and F2 titles, a feat not achieved by many, which gave him the attention of the F1 teams resulting in a promotion to the pinnacle of motorsports with Sauber, soon to become Audi. However, without Fernando Alonso, that chance may not have come at all.
F1 is the hardest-to-reach category in motorsport. However, landing a seat in the feeder series, F3, is no picnic either as Bortoleto recalls in conversation with F1.com. "We had so many issues in 2022. We were not being followed by anyone at the time. It was just me and my father and I didn’t have an opportunity to go to F3 at the time."
However, July proved to be right on the limit. "We didn’t know how difficult it was to get a seat in F3. We thought 'Oh we’re still in July, we have time'. Then I started hearing PREMA was full, Trident was almost full and I thought maybe we should start pushing for it," Bortoleto added, then mentioning the common barriers drivers need to overcome to be offered a seat, mainly landing a sponsor.
Alonso, to the rescue of 'a young driver who could deliver results'
Bortoleto's gather, Lincoln Oliveira, a leading figure in Brazil's telecommunication market, one day went to the Red Bull Ring to race. And who should he meet there, but a man who is more often than not found behind the wheel of a car, Fernando Alonso. "Then my father went to race in the Red Bull Ring with some friends. He met Fernando and [his long-time friends] Alberto [Fernandez Albilares] and Albert [Resclosa Coll, the trio together formed the management agency A14].
“Fernando knew who I was as I raced for his team in FRECA [the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine]. I had some great results for the team like the first podium, the first front row," recalled the Brazilian.
"Both of us wanted to be together, me having a good management team, and them trusting in a young driver who could potentially do good results in the future. They called Trident and it was quite a crazy thing. Everything worked out very well. We signed, we won the championship – and it became very nice.”
Strictly mentor-pupil relationship?
While Alonso has indeed mentored the Brazilian since he took him on as a client, Bortoleto reveals the actual depth of their relationship together. "We have a very good relationship with each other. I think it’s mainly a professional relationship. Always when we talk, it’s mainly about racing. When I see him on track, if I have any questions, he always helped me in F3 and F2."
"I can say I’m very grateful for all the advice he has given me the last two years. He has been very good to me. He’s willing to help and teach me. It’s a great thing to have him behind," concluded the F1 rookie who is set to make his F1 debut in a week's time with Sauber.
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