Bortoleto earns fan praise for deadpan honesty in Passenger Princess driving episode

Gabriel Bortoleto charmed Formula 1 fans with a refreshingly candid appearance on Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Passenger Princess YouTube series, filmed during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. The Audi F1 driver took Dimoldenberg through the basics of speed control and hitting the apex in an Audi RS 5 Avant, drawing over 278,000 views at the time of publication.

Bortoleto’s straightforward manner set the episode apart from others in the series. When asked how he felt about being a passenger, the Brazilian was unambiguous: “Not very comfortable. Not very comfortable. Even when professional drivers are driving, I really struggle to be in the passenger seat.”

Dimoldenberg, known for her deadpan humour, reached 60km/h during the session before declaring it “really intense” and concluding that the speed was “probably too fast for me” — a line that landed well with viewers already familiar with her style.

Beyond the driving challenges, the pair covered a range of personal topics including Bortoleto’s pre-race nerves, childhood sacrifices made in pursuit of a motorsport career, and friendships within the paddock. Fans responded warmly to his no-nonsense approach. “Gabi is giving university professor vibes and I love that, great teacher and brutally honest,” one commenter wrote. Another noted: “I like how Gabriel is very honest and not sarcastic at all, in contrast to some of the other drivers who were Amelia’s driving instructors.”

Bortoleto joins a growing list of F1 drivers to have featured on the series, including George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Ollie Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Franco Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon and Kimi Antonelli. One fan referenced a moment in which Dimoldenberg compared Bortoleto unfavourably to Bearman as an instructor, prompting the comment: “How mean of Amelia to tell him he was not as good as Ollie!”

On track, Bortoleto currently sits 14th in the drivers’ championship with 10 points, ahead of Audi team-mate Nico Hülkenberg, who is 18th with two points. Formula 1 resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix from 21–23 August.