Gabriel Bortoleto had a stunning Formula 3 season in 2023. Stepping up from the Formula Regional European Championship, where he finished sixth in 2022, the Brazilian was a promising prospect, but not deemed as much of a title favourite as the likes of Prema rival and FRECA champion Dino Beganovic or his team-mate Paul Aron.
He showed flashes of speed at the 2022 post-season test in Jerez, turning heads after topping the morning session of the second day, and impressing Trident team principal Giacomo Ricci. But it wasn’t until the opening round in Bahrain that Bortoleto’s potential really showed.
The 19-year-old was immediately on the pace, topping free practice before qualifying second just 0.057s off Gabriele Mini’s pole time. He went on to win the Sunday feature race, immediately taking the lead in the standings – a lead which he would not relinquish. Next time out in Melbourne, he took pole and victory, giving him a 20-point lead over Mini after two rounds.
Though he would not win another race, four further podiums clinched him the title by 45 points over runner-up Zak O’Sullivan – the biggest championship margin since 2019. It was an astonishing charge, one which earned him a nomination for Rookie of the Year at the Autosport Awards.
Bortoleto’s command of the standings throughout was seriously impressive, and was reminiscent of his good friend Felipe Drugovich’s astonishing F2 title run a year prior. It has earned him a promotion to F2 this year with Invicta Racing, replacing 2023 third-place finisher Jack Doohan. But had Ricci, gambling on a rookie, expected such dominance from the young Brazilian?
“I’ll be honest, we chose him because we knew there was a talent there,” Ricci tells Autosport. “Then, from someone who is talented – there are lots of talented drivers in F3, the level like in F2 is outstanding – but from you believe is talented to the fact they will fight in his first rookie season, dominating also for me the championship, this is a big step.
“I was expecting for him to fight for the top five positions in the championship, but at the same time, I have to say, that immediately in the post-season test in 2022, I saw someone that he was special. We have all the references with the drivers from the past, and he in some corners was faster immediately.
Source: Autosport