'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kick Sauber F1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto was spotted enjoying his off time from the sport with Kelly Piquet's brother and former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. at St. Tropez. The Brazilian driver has made a solid start to his rookie campaign with the Swiss team despite still waiting to score his first points in the sport.
The 20-year-old has showcased some glimpses of his raw pace inside a tricky car and has, in one instance, even outperformed his much more experienced teammate, Nico Hulkenberg. Despite winning F3 and F2 in consecutive years, there were not many expectations on Bortoleto as he was driving a backmarker.
Sitting in P19 in the driver's standings, Gabriel Bortoleto would hope for a more productive run of races from Austria until the summer break in August. However, ahead of the Austrian GP next weekend, the Kick Sauber driver was spotted enjoying his mini-vacation in St. Tropez with Nelson Piquet Jr.
Trending
The former Renault driver shared a video with the young Brazilian on his Instagram Story, which was reshared by the latter on his Story.
The 20-year-old emerged on the scene a couple of years back when he was managed by Fernando Alonso's management company, A14.
Gabriel Bortoleto chimes in on Fernando Alonso's importance in his career
Kick Sauber F1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto stated that he believed that Aston Martin F1 driver and two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso "saved" his career after the latter took him under his wing.
In an exclusive interview with Crash.net, the Brazilian reflected on his dynamic with the Spaniard and said,:
“I had a very good support from my family and sponsors at the time, but he definitely helped me to progress in good teams and to be in the right position. He saved my career in the sense of maybe without him I wouldn’t have been in the team I was in Formula 3.
"And if I was not in that team, who knows if I was going to win the championship or not. That’s the question mark. So in that sense he has helped me a lot. He was the guy that gave me those opportunities to be in those teams.”
He also devled into how he met Alonso and added:
“My father met him in one of the Formula 1 races. I was not there. They had a friend in common that introduced him to Fernando and they spoke. I needed a manager at the time and Fernando was creating A14 at the time. Everything was a great match and we started working together.”
Gabriel Bortoleto continues to be managed by A14 and often travels to and fro from the races with the Spaniard on the latter's jet.
