MIAMI, Florida — The 2025 System 1 season has a number of rookies adjusting to life on the pinnacle of motorsport.
Amongst these is Gabriel Bortoleto. Final season’s System 2 Drivers’ Champion is now 5 races into his rookie marketing campaign, driving for Sauber. He has but to open his account, together with his greatest end coming on the Chinese language Grand Prix when he completed 14th. However talking with the media Thursday forward of the Miami Grand Prix, Bortoleto made it clear what he must do on the observe.
Discover the right lap.
“I can’t change something within the strategy, simply making an attempt to do my greatest and you already know, maximizing the laps,” mentioned Bortoleto to the media, together with SB Nation, Thursday at Laborious Rock Stadium.
“Final two races, to be trustworthy, I’ve not finished a clear lap. In Jeddah, you already know, a bit unfortunate as effectively with the plastic bag in the course of the observe. I prevented it pondering it was a entrance wing or one thing, and yeah, simply misplaced my laps.
“And in Bahrain, it was my mistake there.
“I had a snap out of T1 and that value me perhaps going to Q2 in that quali,” continued Bortoleto. “As a result of nonetheless with that lap we have been tremendous near go to Q2 and we misplaced lots.
“So yeah, it’s nearly placing the lap collectively, I might say, get the lap on board. The strategy is identical.”
Bortoleto additionally careworn that the necessity for the right lap at Sauber is extra essential than it’s for different groups. Whereas a number of the different drivers have a bigger error band, at Sauber the window is far tighter, and subsequently the necessity for the right lap is elevated.
“We all the time goal to go to Q2,” started Bortoleto. “That’s one thing for us, if we’ve reached Q2 it’s already a constructive.
“Now we have much less possibilities than different groups. Generally, you already know, the highest groups, they’ll simply drive round and go to Q2, Q3.”
Balancing the seek for the right lap, and avoiding a mistake, is likely one of the points Bortoleto and Sauber are balancing this season.
“We have to do superb laps to attempt to extract all the things and typically making an attempt to do these superb laps, you find yourself doing errors, however that’s the place a driver can fail,” continued the rookie driver. “, while you strive too exhausting, you can also make errors and that’s when you have to perceive that you’re doing that and never overdrive it, simply relax and put the laps collectively. And I feel that has been a bit bit the final weekend and it’s about placing the lap collectively now and making an attempt to, so you have to construct up and get the boldness with the observe.”
So far as Bortoleto’s expectations going into the weekend, the rookie driver conceded that he’ll have to stand up to hurry faster than ordinary. Along with this being an F1 Dash weekend, that is Bortoleto’s first Miami Grand Prix. Which implies he has only one apply session to place all the things collectively.
“Properly, it’s a brand new observe for me,” mentioned Bortoleto when requested about his expectations this week. “[S]print occasion, you already know, you have to all the time be a bit extra aggressive on the best way you go into the weekend since you don’t have a lot time to study a brand new observe as you do in a standard weekend.
“You’ve got just one [free practice session].
“So I might say yeah, simply making an attempt to be a bit extra aggressive, making an attempt to push the boundaries within the early stage of the weekend, and making an attempt to get the boldness with the automotive and the observe to have the ability to carry out right away, however clearly we have to see this weekend as a standard weekend one way or the other you’ll be able to rating factors and all the things, however nonetheless the large race is on Sunday.
“It’s additionally about build up the boldness and all the things to on Saturday.”
That course of begins tomorrow in that single apply session.
SB Nation will likely be on the bottom for all the Miami Grand Prix, so examine our story stream all week lengthy for full protection!
