The leader of the Sauber team, Jonathan Wheatley, has brushed aside any worries about Nico Hulkenberg being consistently outperformed in qualifying sessions by his Formula 1 teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, who is a rookie.
Bortoleto holds a 13-7 advantage over Hulkenberg in their head-to-head record this year, which becomes 11-6 when excluding sprint events. This reflects an outstanding season for the reigning F2 champion, who has achieved five Q3 appearances.
While these statistics might be interpreted negatively against Hulkenberg instead of positively towards Bortoleto, Wheatley dismisses such interpretations, emphasizing that the 38-year-old Hulkenberg is having a commendable season.
Hulkenberg finally achieved his first F1 podium finish with a third-place result at the British Grand Prix this year and is currently ranked 10th in the championship standings, a significant eight positions ahead of Bortoleto, with 19 more points.
Therefore, when questioned about any concerns regarding their qualifying performance comparison, Wheatley responded, “It’s a question that I’m encountering with increasing frequency now. Personally, I don’t believe there’s any underlying problem here. I truly don’t.”
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal of Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber in the Team Principals Press Conference
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images
“We’ve been extensively discussing Nico’s lack of podium finishes. We’ve now rectified that. I genuinely believe this is just a temporary situation.”
“Gabriel is undeniably fast. If either driver perfects their lap, they will likely out-qualify the other.”
“I believe Gabriel has recently been performing on circuits he is more familiar with. As for Nico, I don’t think there’s any major obstacle for him to overcome; he simply needs to put it all together.”
Circuit familiarity has indeed been crucial for Bortoleto, who has consistently outqualified Hulkenberg in the last eight races, spanning Austria, Britain, Belgium, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, and Azerbaijan.
All these circuits were part of the F2 calendar during the Brazilian driver’s championship-winning year, enabling the 20-year-old to progressively improve throughout the season after a somewhat subdued beginning.
Consequently, he has garnered considerable attention, even if it hasn’t always translated into high-scoring results. Bortoleto’s response to setbacks particularly impresses his team principal.
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“He demonstrates a maturity beyond his years,” Wheatley remarked after Bortoleto finished 15th in Zandvoort last month. “He handled the debriefing exceptionally well. Despite a very disappointing race, his development continues impressively, and as a team principal, I couldn’t ask for more.”
“He’s exhibiting all the qualities you’d expect from a young driver, displaying remarkable maturity. And when the car performs well, he delivers.”
Additional reporting by Oleg Karpov and Stuart Codling
