F1 rookie defends Max Verstappen against “villain” persona

Kick Sauber's rookie driver, Gabriel Bortoleto, has defended Max Verstappen around his 'villain' persona in the world of Formula 1. In line with this, Bortoleto has made it crystal clear that Verstappen is a straightforward person.

In recent times, Gabriel Bortoleto and Max Verstappen have often been seen together during Grand Prix race weekends. They are good friends, and the former is also the ambassador of Verstappen's sim-racing team, Team Redline.

While the duo shares a common interest in sim-racing, Bortoleto, through a recent interaction on Beyond the Grid, took the time to shed light on how some people view the four-time world champion as a 'villain' due to his nature of being very direct in his way of doing things. In line with this, the Brazilian defended Verstappen and added the following:

"He's very straightforward. There's nothing fake about him at all. The way he acts on camera is the same way he acts off camera. Maybe some people don't see his good sides. It's also possible that people see him as a villain because he's so direct. But he's not. He has a good heart and likes to help people. He helps me too. He's just a guy showing who he is."

Gabriel Bortoleto has been performing well in the 2025 F1 season, and during the Hungarian GP, he (P7) even started the race alongside Max Verstappen (P8). Moreover, at the end of it, Bortoleto managed a P6 in comparison to Verstappen's ninth-place finish.

In the drivers' standings, the rookie driver is in 16th place after the first 16 rounds.

Gabriel Bortoleto on how 'friendship was born' with Max Verstappen via shared interest in sim-racing

As indicated above, Gabriel Bortoleto and Max Verstappen have a shared interest in sim-racing. In line with this, in the month of August, the former took the time to talk about how he became friends with Verstappen. Via an interaction with Motorsport, he added:

"A friendship was born thanks to our shared passion for virtual racing and simulators. We started in early 2023, I was in my first F3 season and Max helped me a lot with the simulator, suggesting what to try, changes to make and so on. We meet online, him at his house, me at mine, we play, we discuss a bit of everything."

Max Verstappen is easily one of the best drivers on the modern Formula 1 grid. Several young drivers look up to him, and Gabriel Bortoleto is also one of them.

Bortoleto will drive under the Audi banner from 2026 alongside veteran driver Nico Hulkenberg. Considering how much the former idolizes Verstappen, it will be interesting to see how their bond will further develop in the coming years of the sport.