Gabriel Bortoleto: A Race in my Words

11 October 2024

Gabriel Bortoleto is heading into the final two rounds of the year as the leader of the Drivers’ Championship, helped by some stunning performances this season.

One of those came at Monza when he won the Feature Race after starting at the back of the grid. But weirdly enough, this was not the Invicta Racing driver’s first time coming through the field at the Temple of Speed.

He recently sat down with us to talk about the other time in Formula 4 where he made his way through the field on Italian soil.

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“Looking back at some of my best races, I remember very well my Formula 4 race when I started P25 and I finished P2 at Monza. It was very fun, there were many overtakes, and many great moments.

“Also, I have to say Budapest last year was amazing for me. I started P6 or P7 something like this and then I just made some moves and the last lap I made a move to P2 on the outside, so was very fun.

Bortoleto went up from P25 to second racing at Monza in Formula 4

“What I remember from Monza though is that before the race I told the Team Principal, I think if I arrive in that position at that moment of the race and there is six minutes left and we get a Safety Car I will have a chance to win and six minutes to the end we had a Safety Car and we were like 'Oh my God, we were right'.

“We didn’t win but I remember that during the whole race I was just in a flow, I was concentrating hard, I was not losing any time in any of the overtakes, it was something so natural, it felt amazing. It was like I was not overtaking cars, I was just taking the fastest line.

“We knew we had the pace, but we did a different strategy in Quali because everyone in Monza is trying to get the slipstream, so I went first, and then I went to the pit lane but when I went to the pit lane everyone left.

“But when I went back to do my lap there was a yellow flag, so I could not improve on my lap. There was a double yellow flag for the whole first sector, so I couldn't do a lap, the quali was over and I ended up at the back.

Bortoleto says he took plenty of confidence from that race in F4

“But we knew we were fast, we were just at the back. I heard from my engineer at the time, Goofy, he said that the best races are made when you start from the back and go forward and I guess he was right, we did an amazing race.

“I think that race was one of my best. I showed that I could fight well and do some of the best races from difficult positions but mainly I took away confidence.

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“In those situations, I think the main thing is to keep calm, then do what you can. I was not expecting to finish in P2 starting from P25 or wherever I was starting but I did what I could, so that's what I have carried to F2.

“In my best races I try to do my best and in the worst races I do the best I can in that situation, so the main thing is just to keep calm and do my best.”