Audi signs young gun

Months of speculation and rumour have been ended overnight with the announcement that Audi has signed 20-year-old Brazilian driver, Gabriel Bortoleto to drive alongside Nico Hülkenberg in the brand’s Formula 1 debut in 2026.

Despite his youth, Bortoleto has impressed with his combination of raw talent and competitive nature, winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship in his debut season and currently leading the FIA Formula 2 championships – the feeder category to Formula 1.

The São Paulo native was practically born holding a steering wheel, starting his motorsport career at the age of six driving carts and showing such promise form the beginning that by the age of 12 he and his family had moved to Europe to broaden his motorsport horizons.

“Gabriel has already demonstrated in the junior categories that he has what it takes to be a winning driver,” says Mattia Binotto, COO and CTO of Sauber Motorsport AG.

“We are very pleased that he will become a team member of Sauber and Audi. Together with Gabriel, we are on a journey towards success and we will evolve into a unified force to shape a new era for Audi in motorsport.”

The opportunity is not lost on the young driver whose signing ends month of speculation as to which of the established Formula 1 grid would line up alongside 37-year-old German veteran  Nico Hülkenberg who was signed to the team back in April.

“This is one of the most exciting projects in motorsport, if not in all of sports,” says the young Brazilian. “Joining a team that combines the rich motorsport history of Sauber and Audi is a true honour.”

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity given to me by the team and for the chance to work alongside an experienced driver like Nico … I am confident that together we will write our own success story.”

Audi CEO, Gernot Döllner, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sauber Motorsport AG says that the signing shows the team’s longterm commitment, bringing in a driver whose name is relatively unknown outside of the feeder ranks he has dominated in such a short period of time.

“We are currently witnessing a generational shift in Formula 1, with young drivers immediately making an impact,” says Döllner.

“By signing Gabriel Bortoleto, we have secured one of these top talents. His signing underscores Audi’s long-term strategy and commitment to Formula 1.”

Certainly the combination of Hülkenberg’s considerable Formula 1 and experience and Bortoleto’s youth and obvious talent are expected to pay dividends for the future Audi F1 factory team when it takes on the world’s best starting in 2026.