Gabriel Bortoleto Shines in F1 Midseason Rankings

Gabriel Bortoleto has quickly become a potential star in F1, with a strong midseason performance. On debut, the Brazilian showed immediate promise, getting out of Q1.

Bortoleto started off his time in F1 quietly, but his much more experienced teammate Nico Hulkenberg started stringing together results. Once Hulkenberg cooled off, it was Bortoleto's turn.

The expectations for what a rookie could do in a Sauber that didn't score a point until the very end of the previous season were pretty low. But with the team set to rebrand to Audi in 2026, it felt like a cold first effort could make for as easy of a sacking as you could find.

Austria brought a new dawn for the struggling rookie, and in turn, an incredible weekend for Sauber. Bortoleto made his first Q3 appearance, put it P8 ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Pierre Gasly and maintained position for his first F1 points.

He probably could and should've placed P7, but his mentor Fernando Alonso kept him at bay on older tires. Austria was a double points day for Sauber, its first since Qatar 2023.

Bortoleto captured back-to-back points in Belgium and a stunning P6 in Hungary in races where Hulkenberg wasn't able to score. Maybe the craziest headline for Bortoleto is that he purely on pace beat Max Verstappen in Hungary qualifying.

The skills that he clearly has in both racecraft and one-lap pace are very promising. Bortoleto still has less than half the points Hulkenberg has, but he now has the head-to-head lead in qualifying.

Bortoleto isn't too far behind on race head-to-head despite Hulkenberg's career season. Even with the qualifier that Sauber's pace is limiting, both sides of the lineup have done things that we haven't seen in this team since Valtteri Bottas' beginnings with them.

If Bortoleto can keep the momentum moving forward, he's a driver to watch in the driver market for 2027. With 14 points and a best finish of 6th, Bortoleto is making a strong case for himself as a rising star in F1.

His performance in Hungary was particularly impressive, where he finished 6th and outpaced Hulkenberg. Bortoleto's ability to beat Verstappen in qualifying is a testament to his skill and potential.

As the season continues, it will be exciting to see how Bortoleto performs and if he can continue to build on his momentum. With his strong midseason performance, Bortoleto is definitely a driver to watch in the world of F1.