Jonathan Wheatley all in on “real deal” Gabriel Bortoleto as he praises Sauber pairing

Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley’s confidence in his rookie driver Gabriel Bortoleto is at an all-time high. The former Red Bull sporting director described the Brazilian as “the real deal” after an impressive season so far. 

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 ahead of the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix, Wheatley delivered a shining endorsement of the 20-year-old driver as he complimented him on his strong dedication and natural talent. Nico Hulkenberg, fresh from his first career podium at the British Grand Prix after 239 race starts and brimming with experience, is also impressing his team chief.

“If we just talk about the driver line-up full stop, to be honest, I think it’s incredibly strong, and I’m very, very happy with what we have with Nico – this expertise, this experience, this proven speed, calmness in these situations.

“He’s been there, done that.

“Gabriel’s learning from that. Gabriel has a work ethic that’s unbelievable. He has a thirst for knowledge. It’s every single area where he can try to get performance out – the car, he’s trying to get performance out of the car – and plus the stability on the other side of the engineering office, so he knows what he should worry about.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

“He’s getting guidance as to what he should be worried about and what he shouldn’t be worried about. He’s in the factory. He’s doing the simulator sessions. He’s asking where the performance is. He’s the real deal.”

Wheatley, with a career in Formula 1 spanning 35 years, has worked alongside the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Max Verstappen, and Michael Schumacher.

“I have to say that it’s the closest, most collaborative driver pairing I think I can even remember in all my time in Formula 1,” he told Motorsport.com and other media at the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.

“Gabriel has a fantastic work ethic. He has a capacity for taking on new information. He’s proving every way to be the future star that we expected him to be. And Nico is part of that journey with him.”

Bortoleto has a shining history, winning the Formula 3 title with Trident in 2023 and then becoming one of only seven rookies to win the Formula 2 championship with Invicta the following year. Under the management of Fernando Alonso, Bortoleto will be a sharp tool Audi will be looking forward to utilising next season. 

Photos from Dutch GP – Saturday