After two eventful Free Practice sessions at the F1 Canadian GP 2025, rookie Gabriel Bortoleto was reflected on his day to the media. The rookie finished FP1 16th, his teammate last, and FP2 13th, while Nico Hülkenberg finished 14th.
Reflecting on the Practice sessions
Yesterday was Bortoleto’s first time driving on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Gabriel Bortoleto reflected on the practice sessions, looking forward to the next sessions of the Canadian GP.
“It was very positive, you know, new track for me and understanding a little bit how Montreal works. […] It was very solid
“And I’m quite happy with what we have done today and understanding the car and trying to make fast and in a good window for tomorrow”
In both sessions Bortoleto had to show off his reflexes as he had to dodge his opponents more than once. When asked whether Sauber has understood its errors, Bortoleto remained clear and confident, stating that it would improve on Saturday.
“Yes, I think we found out […] we have a lack of things that we can understand and study tonight to place it in a better position tomorrow. But yeah, I believe we are in a good position.”
Thoughts about Qualifying
Today, the last Free Practice session takes place at 12:30pm local time and Qualifying just a few hours later. The first round in Qualifying is always filled with tension, as the drivers seek for speed. As there was the usual traffic yesterday, this could unfold drama near the end
“Let’s see what we can achieve. It’s difficult to say. I think the pack is so tight, you know, and definitely the traffic will be crazy and whoever has the best position on track and has a clean lap will make the difference.”
During yesterday’s practice sessions, a few drivers had to retire early as they crashed. Regarding today’s Qualifying, Bortoleto held the opinion that mistakes such as a crash could hinder one’s performance in further sessions. Nonetheless, he hoped that the Qualifying would go smooth for him but also for his opponents.
“Hopefully tomorrow it’s a clean qualifying for everyone because it’s quite frustrating, you know, when you get cars in front and especially when you almost crash, it’s not nice, especially in FP.”
Gabriel Bortoleto is the only driver that has started in all Grands Prix this year, who hasn’t managed to score a single point.
Last year, he won the F2 campaign, but with Sauber, he remains last in the drivers’ standings in F1. Qualifying on Saturday has a great impact on whether Sunday will be an easy race or a fight for his last breath.
