A rookie who switches to slicks too early, a veteran who does everything right—Gabriel Bortoleto is self-critical and praises Nico Hülkenberg’s instincts
While Nico Hülkenberg celebrated on the podium at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Silverstone, his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto had to retire from the race early. Now he is taking his hat off to the experienced German’s performance. In a chaotic Grand Prix with changeable conditions, it was Hülkenberg’s racing intelligence that made the difference, according to Bortoleto.
Hülkenberg repeatedly went against strategy suggestions from the pits during the race and, in particular, rejected slicks at the start against the advice of his race engineer Jose Manuel Lopez. Time and again, he overruled the strategy himself.
He also presented the team with a fait accompli when switching to a second set of intermediates: “The tires are dead, I’m coming in now,” after having just been instructed to stay out. Each time, his decision was the right one. In changing conditions, it is quite common for a driver to overrule his team. However, it is rare in such quantity.
“I’m super happy for Nico – of course I would have liked to be up there myself, but he made the right decisions. That was the key in the end,” said the Formula 1 rookie on the sidelines of the Belgian weekend.
Bortoleto had made a strategic error in the Silverstone race: he switched to slicks early in the hope of making up ground with a bold call. But the track was still too wet and the Brazilian slid off. Other drivers such as Charles Leclerc and George Russell also went down this route without success.
“I saw that some experienced drivers like Charles and George went on slicks. So I thought, why not? But it was the wrong decision,” Bortoleto admits. “It was a difficult race – those who simply did everything cleanly were rewarded. Like Nico.”
Experience beats risk
For the 19-year-old rookie, the race was a lesson in strategic racing. According to Bortoleto, Hülkenberg is a prime example of how important experience and decision-making are in Formula 1.
“There are so many small decisions that make the difference – and Nico got them all right,” he explained. “He has often started from the back and still managed to finish in the points. That’s no coincidence – it’s experience and mental strength.”
Bortoleto openly admits that his own incident hurts. Nevertheless, he emphasizes that the pressure within the team has not increased despite Hülkenberg’s podium finish.
“I’m happy with my own performance. The pace is right, I’m qualifying well. I just need to bring qualifying and racing together even better – and then the results will come.”
Despite his retirement at Silverstone, Bortoleto sees a positive development. Two races earlier, he had scored his first World Championship points in Austria. And Hülkenberg’s success has given the team as a whole an important boost.
“It gives the whole team a huge confidence boost,” said Bortoleto. “It shows that we are moving in the right direction. Now we want to carry this momentum forward.”
