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Formula 2 driver Gabriel Bortoleto could soon be making his big F1 debut with Audi (currently Kick Sauber). The young Brazilian racer has reportedly been given the nod by McLaren to negotiate with the German team for the 2025 season.
A member of McLaren's 2024 Driver Development Programme, Bortoleto began his racing career in karting. After winning several local and national go-kart competitions, he moved to the Italian F4 championship and the Formula Regional European championship. Bortoleto was crowned the champion in the 2023 Formula 3 season.
He joined McLaren's young driver program in 2024, along with competing in the F2 season with Invicta Racing. Now, the British outfit has apparently given the green light for Bortoleto to negotiate with Audi to debut in Formula 1 in the 2025 season. However, the team may want to keep the option to retain the Brazilian driver in the future, should Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri leave the squad.
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The news was shared by the Brazilian division of motorsport publication GrandePremio.com. The same was posted by an F1 fan page on X, captioned:
"Brazilian F2 driver Gabriel Bortoleto has reportedly been given the greenlight by McLaren to enter talks with Stake F1/Audi for their 2025 vacancy. The Woking-based team want to retain the option to bring the driver back in the future, should Norris or Piastri depart."
Apart from Gabriel Bortoleto, other drivers in contention for the seat are current Kick Sauber F1 drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. While Bottas is likely the top choice, considering his experience in F1, Guanyu and Bortoleto would bring in the youth factor to the upcoming German outfit.
With eight more race weekends to go before the end of the 2024 season, Audi is expected to announce its decision soon.
A brief look at reported Audi target Gabriel Bortoleto's 2024 Formula 2 season so far
After winning the 2023 Formula 3 championship, Gabriel Bortoleto began the 2024 Formula 2 season with a positive outlook. Apart from driving for Invicta Racing, the Brazilian driver also signed for McLaren's Driver Development Programme.
The #10 racer started the year in the junior Formula division with a sixth place finish in the Sprint race and fifth position in the Feature race in Bahrain. However, Bortoleto had back-to-back retirements in Jeddah and Melbourne, losing crucial points early in the season.
After the setback, Bortoleto bounced back at Imola with sixth place in the Sprint and second place in the Feature race. Highlights of his season so far have been the races at Imola, Monaco, Austria, and Monza.
With three more race weekends and a total of 154.5 points to his name, Gabriel Bortoleto is currently second in the drivers' championship. He is just 10.5 points behind the leader Isack Hadjar, and has a fair chance at winning the title.
