(Motorsport-Total.com) – Gabriel Bortoleto has strongly argued that Formula 1 drivers “should be able to adapt to any car.” With this, he rejects the notion that the cars of the 2026 generation clash with the driving styles of the pilots.
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The new Formula 1 generation with its significantly higher electric share has caused a lot of criticism this year and a completely different driving style of the pilots. The criticism of the “Formula E on steroids,” as Max Verstappen called it, was sometimes quite harsh: Oscar Piastri even described it as a “pretty shitty way to do motorsport.”
This opinion is shared by the majority of drivers who have so far rejected the new regulations – which has led to improvements already being decided for 2027.
However, Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto champions the regulations: “In motorsport, it shouldn’t be just about one way of driving,” he says, referring to the traditional school from karting with “slow in, fast out” of the corner.
“I don’t think I have changed my driving style significantly,” says the Brazilian. “But I don’t like the term ‘driving style’ because I think a Formula 1 driver should never really say something like that.”
Formula 1 drivers should be able to adapt
“We should be able to adapt – even if it might not feel natural. But we have to be able to adjust to every type of vehicle and the driving style required for it,” he says. “That’s exactly why we do what we do, and that’s why we are among the 22 drivers worldwide who race in Formula 1.”
“I think it’s simply a matter of which car you have and how you have to drive it. Compared to last year, I haven’t changed my driving style much, but of course, you adjust details here and there.”
“You know how the energy is released out of certain corners – so you know whether you can push harder at the corner entry and worry less about the exit because no energy is released there anyway. Or whether you have to be a bit more cautious at the entry because a long straight follows where a lot of energy is released,” says Bortoleto.
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<p"So you have to adapt. Last year, everything was still constant, you didn't have to do it like that."
His statements come amid the debate that the new cars give drivers less control – with Piastri being a prime example, as well as Lando Norris’ “forced overtaking maneuver” against Lewis Hamilton in Japan.
Nevertheless, these world-class pilots remain high up in the championship and get the maximum out of what is available to them – Norris and Hamilton have both already celebrated wins this year.
Verstappen is not driving slowly either!
Bortoleto therefore emphasizes that the elite have prevailed as in every Formula 1 era – completely independent of which car may suit which special driving style.
“Do you see Verstappen driving slowly? Do you see a seven-time world champion driving slowly this year? Do you see Leclerc driving slowly? I don’t see them driving slowly,” argues the Audi driver.
“I still see them extremely competitive. So I wouldn’t say that fast drivers suddenly became slow. In fact, Lewis is doing slightly better than last year, Max is still driving like unleashed and puts the car right at the front, Lando – the reigning world champion – is still fast,” he emphasizes.
“That’s the truth. So I don’t think we’ve seen slow drivers from last year suddenly become fast and the fast guys slow. I think it’s still real racing.”
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