Last week, Sauber announced that their last F1 seat for 2025 will go to Gabriel Bortoleto, a young Brazilian talent and current leader in the F2 championship. 

This fullfils Bortoleto ambition to step directly into an F1 seat and avoid a year away from racing as he wanted to keep his competitive rhythm after a strong 2024 season in Formula 2 and winning the Formula 3 championship the previous year.

In Formula 1, whats known as a "gap year" occurs when a newly qualified F2 driver is left without an F1 seat and must spend a season or more out of active racing. Such a gap can disrupt a driver’s development and impact their performance when they finally enter F1.

Oscar Piastri, for example, faced this challenge after winning the 2021 F2 championship as he had to sit out the 2022 season before securing a seat with McLaren in 2023.

For Bortoleto, this was a scenario to avoid, and he worked closely with Sauber to ensure he jumps in the premier class seat straight away next season rather than wait until 2026.

Reflecting on his success in securing the 2025 seat, Bortoleto shared his excitement: “It feels amazing. It’s like a dream,” he told the official F1 channel.

“Since I was very young I started racing with a dream to reach F1 one day and now, being able to sign this contract and to be on the grid in ’25, I’m very grateful. And I’m looking forward to it.” 

Bortoleto shared that Sauber considered waiting until 2026 to sign him, but he pushed for a 2025 seat to avoid sitting out a year.

“We have been talking for a couple of months already, I believe, about what was going to happen. If it was going to happen in ’26 or in ’25,” he explained. “But I think the ’25 news came not so long ago.

“It feels very good, because I didn’t want to stay one year without driving. Now, being able to continue the momentum of driving – F3, F2 and now going to F1 next year – I think it’s the best way to do it.”

Bortoleto’s timing with Sauber is significant as the team gears up to rebrand as Audi in 2026 with new power units and an ambitious development plan. He has been inspired by the vision Audi F1’s chief operating officer, Mattia Binotto, shared with him.

“I think the project that Mattia showed me about Audi in Formula 1 – the future, what he wants, what Audi wants, and to be obviously the first Audi driver ever – it’s such a great thing and an exciting project. So I’m looking forward to it.

“At the same time, when you get the chance at F1, you don’t think so much where I’m going to be, more just jump in and do the best you can. But I was a very lucky guy to have been offered a nice project for my future on a multi-year situation.”

For now, however, Bortoleto’s attention remains on finishing his F2 season on a high note, still under McLaren’s driver development program until his final races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.