Brazilian F1 fans will be devastated when they hear Gabriel Bortoleto’s ‘difficult’ Sauber admission

Gabriel Bortoleto is one of four rookies on the 2025 F1 grid – and the 20-year-old has the weight of a nation on his shoulders.

Bortoleto is the first full-time Brazilian driver since 2017 after Felipe Massa retired from the sport. Pietro Fittipaldi was the last Brazilian to race in the sport after he stepped in for Romain Grosjean at Haas in 2020.

The 20-year-old comes to F1 off the back of winning the F3 and F2 championships consecutively as a rookie. Bortoleto likened himself to Charles Leclerc, who also achieved this feat alongside George Russell and Oscar Piastri – proving he deserves his race seat.

The Brazilian will race with Sauber in 2025 alongside Nico Hulkenberg, signing a multi-year deal after leaving McLaren. Emerson Fittipaldi says Bortoleto will enter a ‘new dimension’ in F1 as the Swiss team will transition to Audi in 2026.

Felipe Massa has encouraged Brazil to ’embrace’ Bortoleto and support the young talent. The nation has some of F1’s greatest and most passionate fans and they will hope their latest star can replicate legends such as Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna.

However, the Brazilian faithful will not want to hear Bortoleto’s admission about 2025. He faces an extremely difficult rookie season.

Gabriel Bortoleto admits it is ‘hard to say’ he will score points with Sauber in 2025

While there is excitement surrounding Audi’s prospects in F1, the current state of the team they are inheriting is underwhelming.

Sauber finished last in the constructors’ championship in 2024, scoring just four points all year through Zhou Guanyu in Qatar. While the C44 showed signs of improvement towards the end of the year, there are still expected to be at the back in 2025.

Bortoleto knows this better than anyone – he has been very ‘realistic’ about his chances with Sauber in 2025.

Speaking with UOL Esporte, the 20-year-old admitted it is ‘hard to say’ he will score points this season. Brazilian F1 fans will be devastated by this – but there could be some success in 2025 if Sauber can display ‘good performance.’

Asked if scoring points is his ‘championship,’ Bortoleto replied: “That’s my championship. It’s hard to say that either. I don’t like to create expectations, but at the same time I don’t like to throw them down because I’m a realistic person.

“But I also like to expect good things, right? But just telling where we ended up last year, right? The team ended up last year, they made some good upgrades in Las Vegas, right?

“If I’m not mistaken, in Abu Dhabi they brought a small upgrade again. So they ended up much better than they started. Still, it was difficult because if you think about the points, right?

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know

“There are two McLarens, two Red Bulls, two Mercedes. So far, you understand, you’re almost out of the points.

“There are, let’s say, from the midfield you have two places to score points. So you really have to have a good performance to be leading this, but I think if we can get some points it would be very positive.”

Gabriel Bortoleto has impressed Sauber engineers in testing

While his prospects look dull in 2025 in terms of points finishes, Bortoleto has already displayed his potential for the future.

Bortoleto produced ‘excellent’ lap times in testing in Imola, leaving his Sauber engineers delighted with his performance. The Brazilian has also impressed the team with his detailed feedback as he looks to establish a strong connection early on.

He may not have the machinery to perform right now but the 20-year-old is certain to extract the most out of it. Manager Fernando Alonso thinks Bortoleto will be the ‘best’ rookie in 2025.

Alex Jacques says Bortoleto could be ‘incredibly special’ in the sport. The Brazilian certainly can live up to that hype, but his compatriots will have to be patient for the results to come.