Even from the sidelines, Bernie Ecclestone can still swing a deal. The 94-year-old former F1 boss says he helped usher Gabriel Bortoleto onto the 2025 grid with Sauber — and he’s not shy about the verdict. “The boy is worth his weight in gold,” Ecclestone said during a visit to the Hungarian Grand Prix paddock.
Bortoleto’s arrival at Hinwil was one of last year’s more ruthless moves. The Brazilian surfaced late as a Sauber candidate just as Valtteri Bottas, contract in hand and “waiting for the green light,” looked set to continue. Two weeks later, Sauber confirmed an all-new 2025 pairing: Nico Hülkenberg and Bortoleto, Bottas out. Behind the scenes, Ecclestone had made a few calls of his own, vouching for the then-McLaren junior as Audi edges closer to taking control of the operation.
“I’m glad we were able to help the Bortoleto family with their entry into Formula 1,” Ecclestone said in Budapest. Bortoleto, who’s known Bernie and his Brazilian wife Fabiana for some time, didn’t hide the impact. On Brazilian podcast Na Ponta dos Dedos, he explained that Ecclestone offered character references to the right people. “He said: ‘You can trust him, he’s a good driver and he’ll deliver results.’ He did that part within Audi itself as well,” Bortoleto revealed. After his race in Hungary, Bernie even rang to congratulate him and suggest a podium “would come soon.”
If it felt a bold call at the time, Bortoleto’s done his bit to justify it. The rookie arrived with barely any F1 mileage — half a day in a McLaren, then the one-day post-season test with Sauber — and promptly went 10 rounds without a point. Since then, the curve’s been pointing the right way: three top-10s in four starts, capped by a tidy P6 in Budapest to lift him to 14 points.
“It’s my rookie season. It’s normal that you progress,” he said in Hungary. “I’ve always been like this in the junior series — I like to work, study, understand what I’ve been doing wrong and do a better job.” Of the Budapest result, he added: “This one was pure pace — a great result.”
There’s a human thread to this story that suits the sport’s old and new power dynamics. A Brazilian prospect with back-to-back F3 and F2 titles, a team in transition, and the sport’s most enduring dealmaker still capable of tipping the scales with a quiet word. Sauber gets its reset alongside Hülkenberg; Bortoleto gets his shot; and somewhere down the line, Audi expects payback on potential.
For now, the kid Bernie called “worth his weight in gold” is paying it back on Sundays — and making that recommendation look less like nostalgia and more like good business.
