Why Bortoleto reminds Sauber stalwart Zehnder of a rookie-season Leclerc

Nearly seven years in the past, Charles Leclerc clinched his first Formulation 1 factors driving for Sauber after preserving his head above water in a wild Azerbaijan Grand Prix – one turned on its head by Max Verstappen’s collision with Daniel Ricciardo – to complete sixth.

Till that time, it had been a tepid begin to Leclerc’s F1 profession regardless of the acclaim he’d earned in his comparatively uncontested run to the 2017 F2 title; team-mate Marcus Ericsson outqualified him in Australia and Bahrain, earlier than Leclerc returned the favour in China. The Monegasque then broke into Q2 for the primary time at Baku – and picked his means via a sea of carbon-shedding skirmishes forward.

Though there was a level of fortune concerned in his Azerbaijan heroics, it lit the touchpaper for Leclerc’s season – one which, with Sauber’s development via the yr, led to a 39-point haul and a dream transfer to Ferrari for under his second yr in F1.

That the Italian workforce’s latest years of conservatism in deciding on its driving line-up was ignored for Leclerc solely demonstrated how positively his maiden yr in F1 was seen.

Sauber’s newest rookie, Gabriel Bortoleto, is but to get his personal breakthrough after 4 rounds of the championship, however he is already set tongues wagging again at Hinwil. Like 2018, factors have been exhausting to return by for the workforce within the opening levels of the yr, as Nico Hulkenberg‘s seventh within the rain-affected Australia race yielded the one credit within the financial institution up to now. However Bortoleto, on tempo, has been on the veteran German’s degree.

Workforce stalwart Beat Zehnder, who has been with the Swiss outfit earlier than it even broke into F1 32 years in the past, has labored up shut with each rookie that has handed via the Sauber doorways. When contemplating the work ethic of the “glorious” Bortoleto, Zehnder believes that his expertise with Leclerc most aligns with the Brazilian’s strategy.

“He has a giant chunk of self-criticism,” Zehnder defined. “[In qualifying for Bahrain] he was disenchanted about himself as a result of Nico [made Q2], or Nico virtually did it with out the observe limits. Nico was a bit faster – and Gabi’s purpose and Gabi’s goal is to be faster than Nico.

“He is very open if he does a mistake by himself, is important with the workforce in a great way what he must be faster.

“For me he is most likely like Charles, on the identical degree when it comes to working ethics, working along with the engineers, how a lot time he spends with the engineers wanting to grasp each single bit.

“I actually sincerely hope that we’re capable of give him through the course of this season, to present him a automotive which allows him to attain factors as a result of he deserves it. He is a superb driver.”

Throughout his look on F1’s Past the Grid podcast collection in 2022, Zehnder had beforehand described Leclerc as “one of the vital full” drivers he’d labored with throughout his time at Sauber; just like the eight-time F1 winner, Bortoleto received the F2 and F3 (GP3 as-was) championships back-to-back, additionally matching the feat achieved by the likes of George Russell and Oscar Piastri.

Talking about Sauber’s present automotive, Zehnder believes that though the C45 has proven sturdy downforce ranges, the traits of the automotive’s dealing with doesn’t all the time enable this to be exploited.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Picture by: Clive Rose / Getty Photographs

He added that each drivers’ suggestions has been “unbelievable” in serving to to get extra out of the automotive, which has undergone a wealth of early improvement within the opening races – and was significantly enthused by Bortoleto’s reflections of the fluorescent green-tinged machine given the early levels he is at in his profession.

“The efficiency window of a contemporary F1 automotive is often very slender, and we all know that we have measured fairly an excellent chunk of downforce. However for those who solely measure downforce in an space the place it does not assist you to – [although you] ought to have a flat band of downforce, our automotive is hard to drive.

“What we skilled a bit bit already final yr is we do not like the warmth an excessive amount of. We carry out higher in a cooler atmosphere, and that is one thing we’ll positively work on.

“The great factor is that with each drivers in Nico and Gabi, we’ve got two drivers who’ve unbelievable suggestions, even Gabi mentioned it in China already on the age of 20 – the suggestions, the sensation he is acquired for the automotive is spectacular.”