F1 NATION: Gabriel Bortoleto on his ‘dream’ F1 chance with Kick Sauber, guidance from Alonso and flying the flag for Brazil

For the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast, host Tom Clarkson is joined by the sport’s newest star in Gabriel Bortoleto, who was recently confirmed as a Kick Sauber driver for the 2025 season.
Bortoleto and Clarkson, along with 1996 champion Damon Hill and former Brazilian F1 racer Luciano Burti, discuss the 20-year-old’s rise to the top of the sport via race-winning stints in F4, F3 and, most recently, F2.
ANALYSIS: Why Sauber chose to go with Bortoleto and youth rather than Bottas and experience
Why did Bortoleto, last year’s F3 champion and the current F2 points leader, choose Sauber? Why have Sauber, ahead of their rebranding to Audi’s works team, chosen him? And what does the deal mean to fans in Brazil?
Bortoleto also talks about the influence of his manager, two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso, whether the announcement takes the pressure off his F2 title challenge, and the driver on the current grid who he admires the most.
Meanwhile, Clarkson, Hill and Burti discuss what’s next for outgoing Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, and the impact Bortoleto’s impending move has on the rest of the F1 driver market.
READ MORE: Who is Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know about Kick Sauber’s new recruit
To hear all of that and more from Bortoleto, hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen to the latest episode on your preferred podcasting platform.
Want to get your question answered by the F1 Nation team on a future episode? Simply record it as a voice note and email it to [email protected].