Audi detail early Gabriel Bortoleto scouting with 'original list' declaration

Gabriel Bortoleto was on the original list of young drivers that Audi was looking to sign to its junior programme, it has been revealed.

Former F1 driver Allan McNish, who now holds the role of racing director at the team, first began mapping out Audi's Driver Development Programme back in 2023.

Bortoleto was on his shortlist from the very start, at a time the Brazilian had just embarked on his Formula 3 campaign with Trident.

His title-winning year saw him join McLaren's junior programme, but with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locked in at Woking, McLaren released Bortoleto, clearing his path to a multi-year deal with Sauber for 2025, the team that would become Audi's works operation a year later.

“I remember when I was 17 and where I was on my human development,” McNish told F1. 

“It was very different to where I was when I was 21 or 22 and I can see it with Gabi.

"Gabi was actually on my original list [for the programme].

Since then Audi has signed Freddie Slater, a current F3 title challenger who has been tipped by many to obtain an F1 driver in the future.

McNish revealed that he also had an early on Slater, as well as Bortoleto.

“Gabi and Freddie were on that original list, and he had just started F3. There were six drivers that I was sort of [looking at] and two of them are with us now, so it's quite nice actually. 

“But Gabi has evolved a lot in the last 24 months that I've known him and he's already been in Formula 1.

“From that perspective there is that evolution and you can never put an old head on young shoulders, but you can definitely support them to try and make the right mistakes because they will make mistakes.

“Everybody makes mistakes, I still make mistakes. Nico [Hulkenberg] makes mistakes, Gabi makes mistakes. It's about how you deal with them. It's like a long, long university in a way.”