Wheatley identifies area where Bortoleto has surprised him the most in rookie season

Jonathan Wheatley has admitted that Gabriel Bortoleto’s level of maturity is the aspect of the rookie’s debut season in F1 that he has been “most surprised by”.

Bortoleto was one of a number of new arrivals on the grid this year, having made the step up from his championship-winning F2 campaign to join Kick Sauber in the top echelon.

Since then the Brazilian has gone on to score points on five occasions – which included a career-best P6 in Hungary – while his partnership with veteran team mate Nico Hulkenberg has so far brought home a total of 60 points.

Sharing his thoughts on Bortoleto’s rookie season during the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, Wheatley – who joined Kick Sauber as the squad’s new Team Principal in April – praised the 21-year-old for how he has approached his first campaign in the sport.

“I think it’s the maturity that I’ve been the most surprised by,” said Wheatley. “When you consider his age, the way he handles things – the frustration, the natural things you'd imagine from a driver in his first season – he handles them with such maturity.

“I’ve talked before about his work ethic; if he can be in the simulator, he’s in the simulator – if he can be on a simulator, he’s on a simulator. And I think on top of that, the way he’s knitting his engineering team around him – the way they’re working together – is hugely encouraging as well.

“And the final piece in the puzzle for me is when he’s at a tricky circuit, he builds up to it. Monaco, he built up to it – his only contact with the barrier was in the race. Same in Baku, same in Singapore.

“He just has such a mature approach, so I’m hugely encouraged by his performance so far.”

Entering into the final races of Bortoleto’s maiden F1 season, much of the focus for Kick Sauber will be on the tight midfield battle in the Teams’ Championship, with only 12 points covering those placed between sixth and ninth.

Pushed on whether he feels that climbing up to that P6 spot – currently occupied by Racing Bulls – is feasible, Wheatley responded: “We're taking it a race at a time. Ayao [Komatsu, Team Principal at Haas] taught us a lesson a few races ago. It's so close. The margins are so close.

“I feel like I'm always saying the same thing, but it's nip and tuck all the way down the line, and it'll come down to who makes the fewest mistakes, I think, at the end of the day.

“But honestly, I'm loving our racing at the moment. I'm loving coming into this competitive environment where the margins are so tight, and the calls are so close. I’m just enjoying the season.”