Last week, Sauber announced its complete driver lineup for the 2025 season, confirming Bortoleto as their second new recruit alongside Nico Hulkenberg.

This marks an exciting chapter for the young Brazilian, who will join the team in its final season before transitioning to Audi’s works outfit.

To pursue this opportunity, Bortoleto has left McLaren’s development program, following a standout rookie F2 season that capped off his successful 2023, when he clinched the F3 title.

The deciding factor in the battle for the seat against Valtteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher might’ve been the memorable victory in Italy this year. In a historic performance at Monza, he became the first driver in F2 history to go from last on the grid to first at the finish line, closing in on championship leader Hadjar.

His fourth-place finish in Baku then further solidified his place at the top of the standings, putting him in the lead as the 2024 season heads into its final two rounds. 

Bortoleto’s rapid rise in motorsport has caught the attention of some key figures, including Fernando Alonso. After a strong end to the 2022 season, the two-time F1 world champion took the Brazilian under his wing through his A14 Management project. 

When asked by the F1 Nation podcast which drivers he admired aside from Fernando Alonso, the Bortoleto responded: "From nowadays, I really like how Max drives, in the sense of... I really admire his quali laps and how much he extracts of the car in these laps, the way he drives and races.

Reflecting on recent controversies, such as Verstappen's penalty for driving standards at the Mexico Grand Prix, he commented: "Obviously it can be very hard.

"We have seen in the last races, but obviously they are fighting for a world championship, so we all expect them to race each other like that.

"I've always admired how Max drives - since I was very young, because I was part of a team in go-karts that he grew up with, so they always told me stories about him, and I was always like, 'OK, what would Max do in this situation?'

"I wanted always to be a bit like him, because he won every single thing he did in junior series."