Gabriel Bortoleto may have been the reigning Formula 2 champion, but by making his Formula 1 debut for the struggling Sauber squad the Brazilian's rookie season looked set to go unnoticed.
The first Brazilian on the grid in eight years, Bortoleto suffered a humbling debut experience in Melbourne, spinning out in difficult circumstances. But the former McLaren junior rebounded admirably, even if Sauber's lack of competitiveness meant he had nothing to show for it, resigned to finishes outside the points over the first 10 grand prix weekends. At the time Bortoleto admitted that run of point-less weekends weighed on him more than he had anticipated, having been used to fighting for wins every weekend in F3 and F2.
