Bortoleto reveals Alonso is just as sarcastic and straightforward off camera as on it

Gabriel Bortoleto has offered a candid portrait of his manager Fernando Alonso, telling The Fast And The Curious podcast that the two-time world champion’s public persona is no act — what fans see on television is precisely who Alonso is in private.

“He’s very straightforward when he’s in [front of] the cameras. He’s like what he shows. One of his qualities is that he doesn’t fake it. So, I think people know how he is,” the 21-year-old said.

Bortoleto was particularly warm about Alonso’s dry wit. “I love that he’s very sarcastic many times, with many stuff, but people already know [that], but most of the time he’s being sarcastic, and it’s so funny. I love it. I laugh so much about it.”

The Brazilian driver has been represented by Alonso’s A14 Management agency throughout his rise through the junior categories, a relationship that predates his Formula 1 debut with Sauber in 2025. Audi formally took over the Swiss team at the start of this year, and Bortoleto is now into his second season in the championship.

Alonso has made no secret of his admiration for his protégé. After Bortoleto finished sixth at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix — one place behind Alonso himself — the Spaniard called him “the best rookie of this generation”, adding: “He commits few errors, always putting pressure. If he was English, or something, and finished sixth in a Sauber, he’d be in all the news tomorrow. What he does is exceptional.”

The praise appears well-founded through the early stages of this season. Bortoleto currently sits 14th in the drivers’ standings with 10 points, marginally ahead of his vastly more experienced Audi team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, who has seven points in 15th. It marks a notable step forward from his rookie campaign, in which he finished 19th overall.

Bortoleto is one of several drivers on A14 Management’s books, which also includes Maximilian Guenther, Clement Novalak, Nikita Tsolov, Pepe Marti, Sebastian Montoya, Chloe Chambers, Cenyu Han, Andres Cardenas, and Carl Bennett.