Bortoleto ecstatic with maiden F1 points after ‘crazy one’ in Austria

Gabriel Bortoleto followed up his breakthrough qualifying performance on Saturday at the Austrian Grand Prix with a top ten finish on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring, the Brazilian scoring his first-ever points in F1 during on Sauber’s most rewarding weekend of the 2025 season so far.

Starting from a career-best P8 on the grid, Bortoleto held firm in the race to finish exactly where he began – bringing home four hard-earned points and marking a breakthrough moment in his rookie campaign.

It was a banner day for the Audi-owned Swiss outfit, with teammate Nico Hulkenberg concluding his day in ninth position, just behind Bortoleto.

“I feel like we had a very intense battle – probably the most intense battle I have had in F1 so far,” Bortoleto reflected, after a thrilling fight to the finish with none other than his mentor, Fernando Alonso.

“Outside, inside, and then playing with the blue flags as well with [Lando] Norris and then Oscar [Piastri].

“It has been a crazy one, you know? Nothing to say, just a great battle and I’m glad that I’ve been able to fight with Fernando until the end of the race for these points."

Strategic Shuffles and High Stakes

The race wasn't won – or rather, not lost – without smart strategy from Sauber. After the opening pit stops, the team made a bold call to swap Bortoleto ahead of teammate Nico Hulkenberg, banking on the rookie's pace to hunt down more points. That decision paid off.

Bortoleto slashed a nine-second gap to Alonso and engaged in a multi-lap wheel-to-wheel fight with the two-time world champion.

The battle was made even more chaotic by the presence of faster cars lapping them, forcing both drivers to navigate blue flags mid-duel.

Alonso ultimately held onto seventh, but was quick to congratulate his protégé in parc fermé for a drive filled with maturity, racecraft, and confidence.

“We did a great job on the pit stops, we did a great job with the strategy,” Bortoleto said.

“I feel like we did everything that was in our hands. But I just hope that we can keep this up – a weekend like this repeating every single weekend… I think we can score more points in the season and have great results.”

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Asked if his first points came as a relief, Bortoleto was clear that he always believed he belonged at the highest level.

“I always knew I was capable of it. I’m not in Formula 1 for a random reason,” he stated.

“It’s just good to be in the points finally – more for the team than for myself because they really deserve to have points and everything.

“For myself, I’m here because I want to win one day. I’m not going to be happy because I scored a few points, you know? But for sure it’s already an achievement.

“We should be happy with every small achievement and we are going in the right direction to achieve our bigger dream, which will one day be winning championships.”

Double Delight for Sauber

Bortoleto’s performance was the headline on Sunday, but Hulkenberg delivered a gritty drive of his own.

Starting last on the grid, the German carved his way through the field to finish P9, making it a double-points day for Sauber – vaulting them into closer contention with Aston Martin and Haas in the Constructors’ standings.

“Obviously got a bit of help from the race circumstances – a few cars dropping out – but nevertheless, I think it was a solid race from us,” Hulkenberg said.

“Very positive obviously, double points. From last, I think that’s pretty decent and I’m not sure I could have asked for much more today from there.

“Since Barcelona there’s been a change of momentum and I think we have much more of a grip now on the car and on the season. We seem to be performing much better, especially in the race stints, which is obviously very encouraging and where we wanted to be at the start of the season.

“We will try to continue this – it’s never easy, we always have to work hard but I’m happy and optimistic for now.”

As Austria reminded everyone, sometimes all it takes is one great weekend to flip the narrative. For Bortoleto, it could be just the beginning.

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