Fiery F1 rookie snaps back at remarkable Marko criticism

Gabriel Bortoleto has issued a response to Helmut Marko after the Red Bull advisor spoke of the rookie's abilities.

Marko recently stated on ServusTV that Bortoleto is a “B driver”. While he labelled the Brazillian as “very intelligent”, Marko questioned Bortoleto's “absolute final speed”.

Marko's comments stem from Bortoleto winning just four races across the last two seasons, with his consistent results being a major factor in his route to back-to-back Formula 2 and Formula 3 titles.

While Marko has scouted and signed a number of successful Red Bull-backed drivers, some have not lasted long before facing the axe.

Bortoleto pointed to Marko's mixed track record of Red Bull juniors as a response to his own criticism.

“I don’t care,” Bortoleto told media including RacingNews365. “I mean, I’ve seen that [Marko's comment], and I love challenges.

“Hearing that from Helmut, he’s a guy who has put a lot of talent in F1 and has put a lot of wrong talents in F1. You can see he got it right and wrong.”

Bortoleto has joined the Stake F1 team this year on a multi-year deal ahead of its transition to Audi in 2026.

As he sets out on his F1 journey, Bortoleto voiced his desire to prove the Austrian wrong going forward.

“Hopefully I will prove him wrong with time,” he said. “But there’s nothing I say now that will change his mind, just my results on track. 

“I’m sure I’m going to prove him wrong at some point and hopefully he will admit this when I prove him wrong.

“For now, I’m just focussing on doing my job and improving and doing the best I can.

“I’m proud of what I did in junior series and I won in F2 and F3 against the Red Bull drivers he has, so good for me.”