F1's newest 'bromance' just broke the age barrier
F1 drivers are some of the most competitive beings on the planet. But sometimes, that competitiveness wall comes down a bit, and thus a genuine friendship is formed. Such is the case with these two drivers.
Gabriel Bortoleto made his F1 debut at Sauber this season. The Brazilian driver took a conscious approach to his build up in terms of adaptation to F1, which may have yielded little fruits in terms of results, but the reigning Formula 2 champion is now reaping the rewards of his patient and methodical approach.
His teammate Nico Hulkenberg, now on his 14th season in F1, far from being jealous of his rookie teammate's form which has seen him defeat the German veteran 10-6 in their qualifying duel and 9-6 in the intrateam's race duel, has praised the Brazilian for his consistency, calling him 'a machine', and saying he's able to follow up strong performances one after the other 'like a printer.'
Sauber boss, Jonathan Wheatley, spoke regarding the dynamic between his drivers after the race where Hulkenberg recorded a DNS following a hydraulics issue that cut his race short before it had even started, and Bortoleto raced to yet another outstanding result, scoring a P8 and four points at Monza.
Bortoleto eager to learn, Hulkenberg delighted to teach him
"I'll enjoy it while it lasts," joked Wheatley, laughing out loud at his own comment to GPblog. "No, there's a genuine Friendship," he subsequently clarified.
The British team principal then stated that the team had played no hand in the nature of the relationship between the two drivers, highlighting the trust that naturally flourished from one another as a key factor, as well as Bortoleto's eagerness to learn, which prompted a desire in Hulkenberg to take the Brazilian youngster under his wing.
"Well, you can't make people be friends," he continued. "I think they've established a relationship based on trust from the very beginning."
"And Gabriel, as we've seen, is more than open to try and learn from everyone around him, [to] try to improve his performance, whatever he can take on board. And I think Nico takes a genuine pleasure in trying to help him," Wheatley concluded.
As it stands Hulkenberg currently places P10 in the Drivers' standings with 37 points to his name, with Bortoleto in P16, with 18 points in his tally. Sauber are P8 with 55 points, a mere 7 points away from Aston Martin in P6.
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