Gabriel Bortoleto comments on a “tough” race at one of the easiest tracks to overtake

Gabriel Bortoleto described the 2025 Bahrain GP as a particularly tough outing for the Kick Sauber F1 Team. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, after the race, the Brazilian rookie admitted that despite Bahrain being one of the better circuits for overtaking, he found it extremely difficult to make any progress through the field.

While overtaking is typically more feasible at the Sakhir circuit compared to a track like Suzuka, which challenges modern F1 machinery with limited passing opportunities, Bortoleto finished the race in last place. His teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, meanwhile, was disqualified due to excessive plank wear on the underfloor.

Reflecting on his performance, Gabriel Bortoleto said the team struggled to follow other cars closely, which severely compromised their ability to attack. He noted that the car’s balance hadn’t significantly improved since pre-season testing, and the issues in dirty air remained. The reigning Formula 2 champion emphasised the need for Sauber to widen the balance window and address the car’s significant loss of downforce while in traffic, which he believes is a key contributor to their race-day struggles.

Asked by Sportskeeda how he would describe his race and his struggles in it, Gabriel Bortoleto said:

“Yeah a tough race. Even when we had pace it was so difficult to overtake on one of the most easiest tracks to overtake of the season. Its just so tough. I could cannot be too close to the car ahead, I lose downforce, I just cannot follow very close. Then it's just difficult to overtake.”

Asked if his car had improved from its preseason test version or was similar, he replied:

“Not sure about that. Since the preseason? Oh yeah its basically the same car so it feels pretty similar.”

Explaining where Sauber needed to improve the car, Gabriel Bortoleto said:

“We need to understand how to put in a better window and well definitely now with what we have its very difficult to do something big for the next race. But for the future we need to understand how and why we cannot follow a car that close and how we struggle so much in dirty air and try to fix it.”

The Brazilian driver further elaborated on the C45's struggles in dirty air and how it fares compared to its rivals on the grid.

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Gabriel Bortoleto reckons the Sauber car struggles more in dirty air than their rivals

Gabriel Bortoleto driving the (5) Kick Sauber C45 Ferrari leads as sparks fly behind Pierre Gasly driving the (10) Alpine F1 A525 Renault on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain - Source: Getty

Gabriel Bortoleto believes that the Sauber car’s biggest weakness at the 2025 Bahrain GP was its extreme struggle in dirty air. The Brazilian rookie admitted that the loss of downforce and overall performance while following other cars was far more severe than expected. He revealed that both he and teammate Nico Hülkenberg have been struggling with starts and the opening laps since the beginning of the season, a trend that continued in Bahrain.

Highlighting how compromised the car felt, Bortoleto even noted that the turbulent air affected how his head was aligned in the cockpit, further reflecting the severity of the instability in traffic.

Despite the early challenges, the 20-year-old remains optimistic. He acknowledged that the back-to-back races may give the impression of a packed calendar already, but there’s still a long season ahead. Bortoleto expressed confidence in the team’s ability to find solutions and believes that with the right upgrades and understanding, improvements will come as the year progresses.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the Sauber suffered more in dirty air than their rivals, Gabriel Bortoleto said:

“Absolutely. I think so yeah. I have not driven other cars but that has definitely been the case since race one. Me and Nico have been suffering a lot in lap1’s, restarts and stuff. And this is clearly dirty air. I cannot even keep my head straight in the straight line when I am close to a car ahead because I keep going left and right int he helmet. So it’s just so bad."

"But yeah it is what it is now. We need to work as a team and improve. It’s just the beginning of the season it's very early. Looks like a lot of races already because its one after the other, but it’s still a long journey ahead and we are going to do better,” he added.

Having contested only four races in his rookie F1 season, Gabriel Bortoleto has already turned heads with his ability to match the experienced Nico Hülkenberg in qualifying. His raw pace and composure under pressure have been among the few bright spots in Kick Sauber's challenging start to 2025. However, given the limitations of the current package, it appears to be a long road ahead before Bortoleto can consistently deliver competitive race results.

In a sport where machinery plays a pivotal role in success, Sauber will need to step up its development curve to support both drivers, especially in its final season under the Sauber name before the Audi transition. The Hinwil-based team finished last in the constructors’ standings in 2024, with most of its minimal points haul coming in the latter half of the year.

While 2025 has shown slight improvement, having already secured six points in the first four races, Sauber remains at the bottom of the standings, tied with Alpine. With the midfield tighter than ever, the onus is on the Swiss outfit to elevate their game. If they can deliver a more balanced and adaptable car in the coming rounds, both Gabriel Bortoleto and Hulkenberg have the potential to pull the team out of the basement of the championship.