Gabriel Bortoleto has revealed a voice message he received from Fernando Alonso following his hot start to the Formula 3 season two years ago.
Bortoleto entered the F3 campaign just a handful of months after joining Alonso's A14 Management programme.
The Brazilian won the opening two feature races of the year as he launched his championship challenge. While he went winless for the rest of the campaign, Bortoleto's consistent performances ensured he ended the season with the title in hand.
However, Bortoleto admitted he received some advice from Alonso in the form of a voice message following his successful start to the campaign.
“Things never went bad in F3, to be honest,” Bortoleto told media including RacingNews365.
“I didn't win anymore [after the first two rounds], I was still on the podium and in the top five, scoring good points.
“But yes, I remember he sent me a long voice message saying, 'Don't expect to win every single round this season'
“'At some point you will drop off this performance you are having because it's natural, you just need to keep your head up and keep working and doing the best you can'.
“'Because when you get used to winning, scoring points or being on the podium, dropping out of this range of good performance you have is never easy.'”
Bortoleto followed up his F3 title success with a run to the F2 championship the following year, resulting in his promotion to F1 with Sauber this season.
The 21-year-old was signed to a multi-year deal and will remain with the squad in 2026 when it transitions to an Audi works team.
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!