In issuing a classy response to Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko branding him as only a “B” calibre driver, Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto has continued his strong start to life in the Formula 1 media spotlight.
Two weeks ago in the Bahrain test, Bortoleto was frank but angst-less in discussing how restrictions on F1’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) rule – cut to 1,000km over just four days and split across both drivers in a team – means he arrives as one of the least prepared drivers in the championship’s history given the ongoing restriction on pre- and in-season testing.
