Gabriel Bortoleto made an impromptu visit to the Sauber factory ahead of the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix after admitting to having a “big problem.”
The rookie Brazilian was flying from Japan after finishing 19th at Suzuka, a sign of Sauber’s troubled start to the 2025 campaign, albeit one that has yielded six points due to Nico Hulkenberg’s strong wet weather drive in the Australian season opener.
Bortoleto’s revelation of a surprise factory visit came from the rookie’s determination to improve Sauber’s current situation, where it arguably has the slowest package on the current F1 grid.
Moreover, it afforded the Brazilian time to meet with Sauber’s new Team Principal, Jonathan Wheatley, as well as Chief Operating Officer Mattia Binotto.
“The first week has been very busy for [Wheatley],” Bortoleto told select media, including Motorsport Week.
“He wants to spend a lot of time with the team, and I think this is a very good approach from his side. But I decided to go back to the factory between Japan and here.
“I was not supposed to, but I decided to because I wanted to see the team and to have some time with Mattia and Jonathan.
So we had a good chat there. And also here today, you know, this morning. So it has been very good so far.”
Bortoleto Sauber factory visit ‘very positive’
Bortoleto admitted his “big problem” is having a restless mind if he can’t sleep during travel, and that prompted him to take action and conduct meetings with several Sauber departments.
“I have a big problem. When I don’t sleep, I think a lot. So I went flat out sleeping in the first flight and then in the second flight, I spent like three hours, four hours awake,” Bortoleto said.
“And I was looking outside of the window of the plane, and I was like, ‘I can go home now and just relax, or I can do something useful and go back to the team.’
“So when I landed, actually, Mattia called me to speak. He was not in Japan, so he wanted to know a little bit about how the weekend was and discuss some topics. And I asked him, ‘do you think it’s positive if I’m back at the factory to talk to the team?’ And he said, ‘absolutely, it’s very good. And we are going to be super happy if you are here.’
“So it was very positive, actually, because I managed to go to a lot of departments, talk to a lot of people, and debrief a little bit on our first three rounds of the season. And I think it was the best decision to be done.”
Bortoleto added, “Well, I’m a driver who likes to spend a lot of time with the team. And I think… I think we had time to analyse a lot of things.”
True enough, Bortoleto has been unable to score a point with Sauber so far, despite showing strong promise in qualifying to do the best he can with an uncompetitive package.
He explained how visits with the design and aero departments at Suaber’s Hinwil base in Switzerland were mutually beneficial.
“We went through some data together. And yeah, just had some looks,” he said.
“You know, the racing team was actually already coming to Bahrain. So they didn’t go back.
“It was more the people from the factory. You know, the designers of the car.
“So I went to the Department of Aerodynamics and the designers and everything. And we had some good looks at the data to understand what is not working in the car.
“And what do we need to go, what direction do we need to push for.
“Obviously, we already had this clear. But, you know, when you are there, what they keep saying a lot is that the driver is the best sensor that the car has. Even if we have a lot of sensors.
“So I think it’s very important to give very detailed and interesting feedback for them where to go with the car.”
READ MORE – Nico Hulkenberg expecting test from ‘fast as hell’ Sauber F1 team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto
