F1 | Bortoleto: McLaren open to loan to Audi, but imposes conditions

Gabriel Bortoleto is at the center of the market. The young driver from the McLaren academy took the lead of the Formula 2 championship just this last weekend in Baku, snatching the leadership from Isack Hadjar, standard-bearer of the Red Bull junior team.

Given his excellent results in his rookie season after winning the F3 title last year, the top-flight teams have also set their sights on the Brazilian, and more specifically Sauber and Audi. The Swiss team, which will definitively change skin in 2026 by moving under the four-ring brand, is deciding who to partner with Nico Hulkenberg, who will arrive next year from Haas.

Sauber has made no secret of its interest in the Bortoleto solution and, ideally, it would also represent the priority solution in the event that he were to free himself from his current junior contract, thus overtaking the alternative Valtteri Bottas, who by now knows the team very well having been part of it since 2022. Furthermore, Williams also recently admitted that it is cultivating the idea of ​​loaning Franco Colapinto to Audi, but only under certain conditions.

That’s the problem: neither McLaren nor Williams would want to lose their two drivers from their respective academy teams and it’s logical that Audi would like to have some freedom over its line-up, instead of being tied to drivers under contract with other teams. The Woking team’s Team Principal, Andrea Stella, has stated that the team will not stand in the way of the pupil Gabriel Bortoleto if Sauber wanted to offer him a seat in F1, but would prefer to sanction a loan move rather than let the youngster go permanently. A choice both to protect the investment made in the last two years, given that he joined the McLaren academy towards the end of 2023, and because the Brazilian is proving to be a driver for the future, despite the Woking team having already tied themselves to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the next few years.

Given that the two current drivers are on long-term contracts, there should not be a vacancy in the Woking team until 2027 at the earliest. Consequently, Stella is open to talking about Bortoleto’s future, also to give him the opportunity not to miss an opportunity that would allow him to enter the world of Formula 1 without missing the train. In fact, after a year “stopped” as a reserve, it is often difficult to get some teams to change their plans, also because, if Bortoleto were to win the Formula 2 title this year, he would not be able to remain in the preparatory category next season.

“If [il direttore operativo della Sauber, Mattia] Binotto came to me… when you have a talent like that, you certainly don’t prevent him from having a chance in Formula 1”, explained Andrea Stella, underlining that he would be ready to give Bortoleto the chance to move up a category, but not without conditions, because the idea would be to keep him in the McLaren orbit.

“At the same time, we will certainly be interested in finding a way to keep him in the McLaren family, because I think he is a talent that could be important for McLaren in the future. We are safe in the long term with our two current drivers. We couldn’t be happier. But we would certainly like to keep him in the McLaren family. But I am sure we could find a solution.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, McLaren

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Stella was not only impressed by his young driver’s performance and consistency, as the 19-year-old Brazilian finished 17 of the last 18 F2 races in the top 10, taking the championship lead in Baku. Consistency was also key in Formula 3, where he managed the remainder of the championship after a strong start to the 2023 season, winning the title. However, there was another element that surprised McLaren, and that was his attitude.

“I tell Gabriel the same thing I tell the team: don’t look at the standings, just think about the checkered flag all the time and take one race at a time, with your feet on the ground. And he has this attitude.”

“For me, as for Oscar, it’s not just about ability and execution when he’s in the car. From a driving point of view, it’s also seeing how humble these guys are, how willing they are to learn and work with the team. They’re never arrogant. And when you combine talent with hard work and with this kind of values ​​and attitude, I think you can grow as a driver. And Gabriel is another example of such a rapid growth.”

“If you think about the start of his F2 season, he had some hiccups at times, not necessarily only because of him, because he had some problems with the car, but he didn’t give up,” added the McLaren Team Principal, praising the Brazilian.