Sep.8 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg admits his rookie teammate Gabriel Bortoleto is more and more setting the tempo at Sauber.
The veteran German, who lastly scored his first F1 podium earlier this season at Silverstone, has trailed the Brazilian 10-6 in qualifying to date this yr. At Monza, 38-year-old Hulkenberg might solely handle P12 whereas Bortoleto impressed with eighth.
“I feel there’s extra in it,” Hulkenberg stated. “I tousled the primary lap in Q3, which left me weak on the ultimate run. I needed to make up floor, which prices time.”
Nonetheless, Hulkenberg is beneficiant in his reward of Bortoleto, assisted into System 1 by former supremo Bernie Ecclestone and managed by Fernando Alonso.
“He’s simply doing a extremely good job,” Hulkenberg admitted.
“He’s a machine – churning out laps like a printer that by no means runs out of ink,” he smiled. “He hardly makes errors, at the same time as a rookie. He’s on a steep studying curve, however he’s undoubtedly a driver of the longer term.”
Bortoleto, 20, admitted he had been anxious about going up in opposition to such an skilled teammate. “I actually thought, ‘That is going to be robust,’” he stated. “I’ve admired Nico since F2 and F3. I all the time thought, ‘That man is so quick.’
“This yr I knew I needed to push myself – to race for my life.”
Nonetheless, the 20-year-old Brazilian pressured the battle is nearer than it seems to be. “Truthfully, it’s very shut for those who have a look at the information,” Bortoleto defined.
“The midfield is so tight this yr that each millisecond counts. We don’t ask one another for recommendation, however we have a look at one another’s knowledge. We each need the identical factor from the automotive, and that helps the staff.”
At Monza, former Williams boss Jost Capito even referred to as Bortoleto “the most effective rookie of the season” on Sky Deutschland.
In the meantime, staff boss Mattia Binotto insists the Brazilian’s rise isn’t any fluke. “We’re thrilled to have signed him,” he instructed La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It’s straightforward to say at present that he was good in F3 and F2, however we had been those who signed him.
“He’s a tough employee, very quick, and already confirmed. He’ll turn out to be a high driver.”
Binotto added that Audi, taking management of the staff in 2026, is reasonable about its first yr – once more with Hulkenberg and Bortoleto.
“We don’t anticipate nice issues, however the essential factor is to develop and present progress. Nico is quick, constant and a job mannequin. Gabriel is studying calmly, with out strain. Collectively, they offer credibility to the mission.”
