New-for-2025 Sauber Formula 1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto has revealed he has "always admired" Max Verstappen and his driving style, placing the Dutchman alongside Ayrton Senna as his inspiration in racing.
Bortoleto, who leads the F2 championship heading into the final two rounds of the season, was announced last week as Sauber's second new recruit alongside Nico Hulkenberg in the team's final campaign before its transition into Audi's works outfit.
The Brazilian has therefore left McLaren's development programme to pursue the opportunity, having impressed in his rookie F2 season after clinching the F3 title in 2023.
Asked by the F1 Nation podcast which of the drivers he admired - other than Fernando Alonso, who acts as Bortoleto's manager - the Brazilian replied: "From nowadays, I really like how Max drives, in the sense of... I really admire his quali laps and how much he extracts of the car in these laps, the way he drives and races.
"Obviously it can be very hard," he added, acknowledging recent on-track controversies after Verstappen was penalised for driving standards at the Mexico Grand Prix.
"We have seen in the last races, but obviously they are fighting for a world championship, so we all expect them to race each other like that."
Explaining a connection to Verstappen, Bortoleto explained: "I've always admired how Max drives - since I was very young, because I was part of a team in go-karts that he grew up with, so they always told me stories about him, and I was always like, 'OK, what would Max do in this situation?'
"I wanted always to be a bit like him, because he won every single thing he did in junior series."
Returning to his national hero, Bortoleto insisted: "Obviously, my biggest hero is Ayrton Senna, for the driver he was, for everything he did on track, but also outside of the track, I think he was a great person with great morals, and the legacy he left behind, and everything he did for Brazil, I think that's something I am inspired by."
