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An adorable video of Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto playing with his teammate Nico Hulkenberg's three-year-old daughter, Noemi Sky, has gone viral. The German driver was sitting alongside as the two of them and shared this wholesome moment together.
Gabriel Bortoleto joined the F1 grid this year with Sauber, partnering with Nico Hulkenberg. Having won the Formula 2 championship in his debut season, Bortoleto was considered a fine addition to the grid. Matched with Hulkenberg's experience, the duo is expected to help Sauber get off the bottom and score some points before their takeover by Audi next year.
Apart from the track, the drivers also spend time together at the paddock, and recent footage went viral where the Brazilian driver could be seen playing with his teammate's three-year-old daughter.
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This wholesome moment was well-received by fans on social media. Nico Hulkenberg's daughter, Noemi Sky, was born in September of 2021 to his wife, Egle Ruskyte, who is fashion designer. The couple had been in a relationship since 2015 and later got married.
Gabriel Bortoleto speaks on making the switch from Formula 2 to F1
Bortoleto is one of the five rookies to join the Formula 1 grid this season. Notably, he only raced in Formula 2 for one season before making the switch to Sauber, much like Kimi Antonelli.
Assessing the difference in performance and the challenges he is set to face this season, the 20-year-old described the transition as 'tough,' moving from a junior series to Formula 1 in a consistently back-of-the-grid car.
"It's very tough, if I'm honest," Gabriel Bortoleto told Autosport. "It's tough because I come from two very good years in my life, where I won F3 and F2. But at the same time, I have very clear [in mind] the project I have ahead of me. I didn't come to Formula 1 thinking I would be straight away fighting for race wins or podiums."
Further expanding on the issues that Sauber has compared to their competitors, Bortoleto stated that he is working to improve his and the team's performance.
"I'm not here to be last, I'm not here to be P10. I'm here to try to win, like everyone else," he added. "But in my mind, I need to also accept the position we are in now. Because as soon as you start going into this loop of being too harsh on yourself or upset because you are not able to do that, I think you start performing worse and worse. You just need to extract everything you have from what you have now."
Gabriel Bortoleto is yet to score points this season; at the same time, Nico Hulkenberg's P7 finish in Australia has given the team an edge with six points.
