Gabriel Bortoleto spoke again about the frequent comparisons with Ayrton Senna and made it clear that he faces the topic with pride, but also with caution. The Audi driver stated that he is still at the beginning of his journey in Formula 1, and considers it difficult to be placed alongside one of the greatest names in motorsport history.
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The first Brazilian to compete in a full F1 season since 2018, Bortoleto acknowledged the importance of having his name associated with the three-time F1 champion. At the same time, he highlighted that this kind of expectation can bring additional pressure to a driver who is still building his career.
“Senna is the greatest of all time, so seeing my name in the same sentence as his is already something very important. I am Brazilian, he is my idol, I read about him, watched videos about him, and I am extremely grateful for that, but sometimes it is difficult to be compared to someone who won so much when you are at the beginning of your career,” Bortoleto told RacingNews365.
The young driver pointed out that there are positive and negative aspects to this kind of comparison. According to him, the demands can become more intense when results do not appear, although the support of Brazilian fans makes a difference in his journey in the main category of world motorsport.
“There are many positive and negative aspects to this, and when you don’t win, people can be very harsh, but there are many people who support me in Brazil. We have the most supportive people,” he said.
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Bortoleto also preferred to leave any judgment about the validity of these comparisons for the future. The Brazilian believes that only time will allow a fairer assessment of his trajectory and the impact he may have on the sport: “I hope that in ten or fifteen years, we are here talking again and can say something about this, and whether it was valid to compare me to him,” he added.
Despite the inevitable references to Senna’s legacy, the Audi driver emphasized that his main goal is to build his own story in Formula 1. For this, he assured that he continues working daily to evolve and represent Brazil well on the tracks.
“What I can tell you is that I will work every day to be the best driver I can be and create my own story, and to make my country proud of me, because that is what matters. I want to bring happiness to my country, I want people to wake up on Sunday morning and watch a race with their families. I have great memories of this kind of moment and would like to be able to provide that for children in Brazil,” Bortoleto concluded.
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