GABRIEL BORTOLETO MINI HELMETS

Gabriel Bortoleto's path to Formula 1 was set the moment he first got in a kart at six years old in São Paulo — inspired, like so many Brazilian drivers before him, by his hero Ayrton Senna. He was racing internationally by eleven, having moved to Europe to chase it seriously, and the results followed fast: junior karting titles, a top-five debut in Italian F4, and a steady climb through Formula Regional before things accelerated dramatically.

In 2023, backed by two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso's management company, Bortoleto dominated the Formula 3 championship. He followed it in 2024 with the Formula 2 title — a comeback from last to first in the Monza feature race among the highlights — making him one of the very few drivers in history to win F3 and F2 back-to-back. That run earned him the 2024 FIA Rookie of the Year award and a release from his McLaren development contract to take a race seat with Kick Sauber for 2025, partnered with the experienced Nico Hülkenberg.

His rookie season had the shape most rookie seasons do — an early struggle with a car that started the year off the pace, a difficult home Grand Prix crash he walked away from unhurt, but real signature moments too: reaching Q2 on his F1 debut in Australia, and a career-best sixth-place finish in Hungary after qualifying seventh. He became the first Brazilian to race full-time in Formula 1 since Felipe Massa in 2017 — a fact that carries real weight in a country that reveres its motorsport history.

For 2026, Bortoleto stays with the same team under a new name and new ownership: Kick Sauber's transition to Audi's first full works entry, with Bortoleto retained as one of two drivers carrying the German manufacturer's F1 debut. It's a fitting next step for a driver whose helmet has never stopped paying tribute to where he's from.