New Sauber signing Bortoleto eager to join manager Alonso on the grid

Formula One’s newest driver looked forward on Wednesday to racing the oldest, with Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto set to join his age-defying manager Fernando Alonso on the grid next season.

Brazilian Bortoleto, 20, is one of the top talents on the books of the A14 management company founded by double world champion Alonso, who drives for Aston Martin and will be 44 next July with more than 400 Grands Prix under his belt.

“We always joke about it, to be honest, because before I was born he started racing in Formula One,” the reigning F3 champion and F2 leader told reporters in a video call from Sauber’s Hinwil factory after they confirmed his multiyear deal.

“And now I’m getting there, I’m going to drive with him hopefully.

“He has been helping me obviously a lot in my journey teaching me a lot of stuff and supporting me ... and yeah, I think it will be very fun and I will have a good time with him.”

The Swiss-based team had earlier announced the departure of Finland’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, China’s first F1 driver, at the end of the season in December.

Sauber, who will become the Audi factory team in 2026, already announced 37-year-old German driver Nico Hulkenberg — now at Haas — in April.

Sauber boss Mattia Binotto was at Ferrari when Alonso raced for the Italian team in 2010-14 but said the Spaniard had stayed in the background when it came to talks about Bortoleto’s future.

“We met in the paddock but he never influenced, he never tried really to come with me with convincing arguments,” said the Italian.

“I think what convinced me was Gabriel and nothing else. With Fernando I had once a chat but really very, very little.”

Bortoleto was one of several candidates for the drive, a choice that ultimately was between him and Bottas, who had agreed terms to stay on before Sauber decided to go for youth over experience.

Sauber will become the Audi factory team in 2026 and Binotto said starting on that journey with a young driver was important and Bortoleto, a McLaren young driver, had been a straightforward choice.

He said there had been no compensation paid to McLaren, who have race regulars Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris under long-term contracts.

“What he has achieved, what he is achieving, the way I think he is driving impressed me,” he said of the Brazilian. “But more than that is his capacity to develop, improve and progress through the season itself.

“If I look around, I think he’s one of the most talented and high potential drivers we’ve got as rookies and for Audi that was a winner.”

Bortoleto will be the first Brazilian to have a full-time seat on the F1 grid since Felipe Massa, who also started out with Sauber, retired in 2017.

He said the level of support from Brazil, homeland of the late Ayrton Senna and fellow-champions Nelson Piquet and Emerson Fittipaldi, would help.

“It’s a type of thing you know that gives you energy,” he said. “I think it’s going to be very positive to have the Brazilian fans helping us and supporting us and just wanting me to perform well in Formula One.”

Reuters