Gabriel Bortoleto backed for Cadillac F1 seat after standout rookie season
James Hinchcliffe reveals which 2025 F1 rookie he would choose for Cadillac
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Formula 1 presenter and former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe believes that if the Cadillac F1 team were to choose a 2025 rookie driver to be part of its driver line-up, the American outfit should opt for Gabriel Bortoleto.
Cadillac is set to join the F1 grid in 2026 as the 11th team, and while much has been going on behind the scenes at Silverstone and in Indiana, the General Motors-backed team is yet to announce its driver pairing for its debut season.
Although there has been a lot of talk about former Sauber driver and current Mercedes reserve Valtteri Bottas and former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez signing with the team, Hinchcliffe argued that Bortoleto could be a good option for Cadillac, should it decide to go for one of the current rookies on the grid.
“Bortoleto has been super impressive because that car is not great," Hinchcliffe explained to The Red Flags Podcast. "And even when it’s good for a Sauber, it’s still not great.
“And Nico [Hulkenberg] is known as one of the best Saturday guys. Like that was kind of one of his things. And I think, I think Gabriel, I think he’s beating him right now, eight to six.
“So that’s really impressive. And he does that on Saturday, but then he backs it up on Sunday.
“Like he qualified up there in Austria, stayed there, had a great race in Hungary. So he’s been super impressive as well.
Former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe and Jolyon Palmer
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“And what I like about him is he’s just a kid who came from nothing, and he really just had to work hard and really, really put in the effort to get there. He had to win to keep going, and he did.
“I would say the most impressive [rookie] at this point, as of Hungary, I would say it’s probably Bortoleto."
When asked to choose which rookie he would sign if he were part of Cadillac, he confirmed, “Of the four that are out there now? Yeah, probably [Bortoleto].”
Bortoleto currently sits 17th in the drivers' standings with 14 points.
Share Or Save This Story
Kimi Antonelli's Spanish GP win will still "sting", says James Hinchcliffe
Who is racing Max Verstappen in "Max vs 100"? Entry list revealed
Guenther Steiner criticises Lando Norris's Coca-Cola Spanish GP moment as 'unprofessional'
Audi’s long road back to the top of grand prix racing
Audi lodges intention to appeal against Yuki Tsunoda's Italian GP verdict
How Nico Hulkenberg avoided a massive shunt with Audi team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto
Why Jack Aitken stays calm despite three straight podiums and no wins
Another close Rolex 24 defeat “heartbreaking” for Jack Aitken
Colton Herta: ‘It would be foolish to think that I’ll win my first F2 race’
Max Verstappen takes just 14 laps to overtake 100 amateur karters in manic event
Hendrick to bring back iconic neon yellow car numbers for 2027
NASCAR changes wet-weather tire policy for Bristol to give teams more control
Max Verstappen beats the 100 in blistering time as it happened
F1 doesn't need to change its VSC rules despite Lando Norris' Spain loss
Why Lando Norris doesn’t buy George Russell’s driving style theory
How Kimi Antonelli is proving unbeatable, even when he's beaten
How Norris unfurled a surprising - and "unrepeatable" - Spanish GP pole lap
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments