"He knows where the accelerator is and seems to learn quickly": Nico Hulkenberg makes his feelings known about young Fernando Alonso prodigy

Nico Hulkenberg has given his thumbs-up to Fernando Alonso prodigy Gabriel Bortoleto, who will be his teammate at Sauber this season. The German has been a part of the sport for more than a decade, through different eras of drivers and regulations.

This would also be his second stint at Sauber, as he spent a season with the team in 2013 and, at the time, was considered one of the top talents on the grid because of the drives he put together. For the 2025 F1 season, he goes back to the Hinwil-based squad that would soon be rebranded to Audi in 2026 when the German brand takes over.

Hulkenberg would team up with Gabriel Bortoleto as the young Brazilian would make his F1 debut. Bortoleto won the Formula 2 championship last year on his first attempt and won the Formula 3 championship the year prior in his rookie season. The young driver has been a Fernando Alonso prodigy, as the Spaniard has been managing his career through the junior ranks.

Talking to AMuS, Nico Hulkenberg was questioned about the young driver, to which the German had a more or less complimentary view of the Brazilian. He said:

Time will tell. But if you look at his CV, it speaks for him. He won Formula 3 and Formula 2 as a rookie. He knows where the accelerator is and seems to learn quickly. Like many others, he's starting as a rookie next year and has a lot ahead of him. I look forward to working with him and will support him wherever I can because I want us to grow as a team as quickly and as well as possible."

Nico Hulkenberg on life at Sauber as he gets used to a new team

Nico Hulkenberg also talked about bedding into the new team at Sauber. It's been a decade since he was a part of the squad, and many things have changed since then.

Explaining some of the things one needs to do to get used to a new team, the German said:

"First of all, lots of new impressions. A team change like this isn't just a new car. That's 80 new faces and new names at the race track. And then the car. It always feels strange at first. Like when you get a car at the rental car counter every week that you've never driven before."

He added:

"This takes a moment to groove in and get comfortable. But the test was positive, as positive as it could be. It was valuable to collect first impressions, get a feel for the car, and just start working."

Nico Hulkenberg will be playing the role of team leader at Sauber, where he will help the team get ready for its transition to Audi in 2026.