Bortoleto’s Home F1 Debut Begins São Paulo Weekend With Title Race on a Knife Edge

Overview

• Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, racing for Sauber, makes his first home start at Interlagos and says he is very emotional yet confident he can be competitive after scoring points in five races this season, including a best of sixth in Hungary.
• Felipe Massa publicly labeled Bortoleto the season’s best rookie and urged him to channel the crowd’s energy, joking that fans want to see him finish inside the top five.
• The São Paulo round uses the sprint format with only one free practice on Friday, compressing preparation as Bortoleto balances team work with a packed sponsor and media schedule.
• Official forecasts flag instability on Saturday with daylong rain, strong winds and a regional hail risk, conditions that could reshuffle the sprint and qualifying and set up an unpredictable grid.
• Lando Norris leads Oscar Piastri by one point with Max Verstappen 36 back; Norris says he is ready for any conditions while Verstappen insists Red Bull will win if the car proves quick enough, as Latin America’s F1 resurgence continues with a reported 2026 Cadillac entry for Sergio Pérez.