17/04/2025 22:45
Gabriel Bortoleto has compared his current situation at Stake F1 to
George Russell's debut season at Williams. The reigning Formula 2
champion is last in the drivers' standings and is just one of four
yet to score a point this season. Bortoleto does have the weakest
car on the grid, although he has a multi-year deal for Audi's
arrival next season when the new power unit regulations are
introduced. It has been a difficult period of adjustment for the
20-year-old, who entered F1 this year having won F3 and F2 in
back-to-back campaigns. "If I'm honest, it's not easy," Bortoleto
told select media, including RacingNews365 . "I come from [winning]
two championships, I'm used to being in this [press conference]
room, but actually after a race because I win or I'm on the
podium. "And now for us, it's already a mega job if we're going to
Q2 or fighting for Q3 but there is always going to be someone
paying this price at the beginning." Bortoleto: 'He's doing a great
job' Despite facing numerous challenges with Stake, the Brazilian
driver has tried to see the positives from the opening four rounds
of the season. Bortoleto is not the first F2 champion to be
promoted into F1 with a weaker outfit, something Russell
experienced when he joined Williams in 2019. As recognised by
Bortoleto, Russell failed to score a point in his maiden campaign
but has progressed to become a strong driver, giving him the belief
the same can happen to him. "If you see George Russell at the
beginning of his Formula 1 career, I don't think he scored a point
in his first season in F1 or something like this," Bortoleto
pointed out. "And now. he's one of the best drivers on the grid and
doing such a great job. "I wouldn't say fighting for the
championship right now, but he's constantly on the podium or
fighting for things, so it's all about having patience. There is
nothing much I can do right now. "Just learn, try to grow as a
driver in these tough moments and do a better job every race
weekend. And, yeah, get better because I'm not fighting for points
right now. That's the realistic situation."
