Gabriel Bortoleto impresses on his F1 debut, outqualifying Nico Hülkenberg and pushing Sauber into Q2 in a surprising performance.
The biggest surprise in Melbourne? Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian rookie made an impressive F1 debut, outperforming his experienced teammate, Nico Hülkenberg, and securing a spot in Q2. With a solid 15th place in qualifying, Sauber is showing signs of progress—perhaps things aren’t as bad as expected for the team.
A Strong Start for Bortoleto
From the practice sessions, Bortoleto felt comfortable in the car and managed to extract its full potential. “I think we did a good job as a team, making the most of all three free practice sessions,” he said. And he has every reason to be proud—he outpaced fellow rookies Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, as well as half-rookie Liam Lawson.
“Q1 went well; we put everything together and made it into Q2. For my first F1 qualifying session, that’s definitely not bad,” he added. In Q2, he pushed hard, nearly losing control of the car in an attempt to reach Q3. “I wanted to take my chance, but I pushed a little too much on my fast lap. I managed to keep the car on track, but it didn’t make sense to go for another attempt. Still, we can be happy with the work we did today.”
Looking ahead to race day, Bortoleto remains optimistic. “Rain is highly likely tomorrow, and in these conditions, anything can happen—especially on a track like this. If we have a clean race with no mistakes, I believe we can get a good result. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Hülkenberg Falls Just Short of Q2
It was a frustrating session for Nico Hülkenberg, who missed out on Q2 by just 0.05 seconds. The German driver admitted he’s still struggling to find the right balance with his new car.
“My first flying lap was decent, but I don’t feel fully in control of the car yet. It will take time to build confidence,” he explained. “On my second push lap, I hit some traffic in the first sector, which pretty much cost me a spot in Q2. When you look at the times, the field is incredibly tight, meaning every little detail can make a big difference.”
Despite the setback, Hülkenberg isn’t too surprised. “We didn’t maximize our opportunities today, but that’s understandable—it’s the start of a new journey with a different car and team. Let’s see what tomorrow brings. If it rains, everything could change. We’ll do our best.”
Sauber’s Development Plan Moving Forward
Sauber’s Technical Director, James Key, sees positives despite a mixed day. “We have mixed feelings today because there was an opportunity to qualify a little higher,” he admitted. “But at the same time, it’s encouraging to see we are close to several of our direct rivals.”
Key pointed out how tight the midfield battle is. “The first two days in Melbourne have shown just how small the margins are. Just look at the Q1 times—it’s likely to stay this close all season. We’ve improved the car this weekend, but we still need to work on achieving more consistent setups. That said, our race pace looks decent.”
The good news for Sauber? More upgrades are coming. If they work as well as this weekend’s updates, the team could continue climbing the midfield ranks.
“We have further developments planned for the next few races, and we hope they will be enough to move us forward in this highly competitive pack,” Key confirmed. “A big thank you to the entire team for the hard work over the past few weeks. Some of these upgrades were completed at the last minute, and their effort has made a real difference.”
Sauber might not be fighting at the front, but the signs are promising. With Bortoleto’s strong debut and more improvements on the way, the team could become a real contender in the midfield battle.
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Bortoleto Stuns in Melbourne: Sauber’s Rookie Beats Hülk! Bortoleto Stuns in Melbourne: Sauber’s Rookie Beats Hülk!
