– Audi race director Allan McNish has shed light on the mindset that makes Gabriel Bortoleto a successful Formula 1 driver. The former Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion, who won both titles in two consecutive years, made his Formula 1 debut in 2025 with the Hinwil-based team – back then still under the Sauber banner.
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After losing to his experienced teammate Nico Hülkenberg in the points comparison 19:51 in 2025, Bortoleto now leads 10:2 at the 2026 summer break. His probably most brilliant performance was a remarkable eighth place in the Spa-Francorchamps race after starting ninth – on a track where the new engine manufacturer had actually expected difficulties.
But the 21-year-old Brazilian impresses not only with pure performance but also with his mental skills.
Strong performances and mature approach
“He is very analytical in the way he drives and builds up his speed,” McNish explains to the English edition of Motorsport.com. “I think that is something you can see in how he has grown over the course of this year and also in the qualifying sessions – like for example in Spa.”
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“In Formula 2 in Qatar, when he was leading, he turned into the pit lane, and they closed the pit lane because of a safety car or something similar. He had to pull out of the pit lane again and received a five-second penalty because he crossed the white line.”
“How he then composed himself again and continued the race showed that he has mental composure.” The driver crossed the finish line first before the penalty dropped him to third place amid a tight title fight against today’s Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar.
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Mental strength as a big plus
“If you have this mental composure – along with natural pace and an analytical approach to also implement this pace – that gives you an enormous amount of potential. And now he is starting to grow with experience in delivering that consistently.”
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“What I also like about him beyond that is that he is a positive, cheerful person off the car. So it is pleasant to have him around, and it is also nice for him to have us in the team around him. With him and Nico, we have a very good balance between the two, because one brings experience and therefore naturally and instinctively understands where the wind is blowing from, while the other has this youthful enthusiasm. The two really complement each other very, very well.”
Asked about Bortoleto’s work ethic, McNish agrees: “He is a very hard worker. He is definitely the one who, for example, would be sitting in the sim on January 2nd during a simulator session working with his engineer Jose.”
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“And that is something we need right now in my opinion. We need drivers who push us. We need drivers who are there and support us when we need someone to step in and hold the flag high. Both are exactly like that, and Gabi definitely fits that mold.”
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