Master and apprentice – the F1 Austrian GP battle between Bortoleto and ‘boss’ Alonso

We have all been there. Even when you have a good relationship with your manager there comes a point of conflict, where you think you know best, when your youthful exuberance outweighs the experience and knowledge they possess.

Now imagine that situation unfolding at speeds in excess of 200mph while you are in the first year of the job and the manager in question is two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso.

That was the position Gabriel Bortoleto found himself in during Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix as the Brazilian rookie looked to pass the 43-year-old Alonso for seventh place.

Alonso’s ‘A14 management’ has Bortoleto signed up, and it clearly knows precocious talent as the 20-year-old landed an F1 seat at Sauber having won the F3 and F2 titles in consecutive seasons.

With Alonso now in the twilight years of a career that has seen him win 32 grands prix and two F1 titles, the pair have not tussled too much on track since Bortoleto – who was not even born when Alonso debuted for Minardi in 2001 – arrived on the scene.

There was nearly a coming together in Saudi Arabia, something Bortoleto admitted was his fault, but with steadily increasing performances and strong updates coming to the Sauber package, he was able to take his first F1 points in Austria – even if master Alonso kept the apprentice at bay.

“It was fun, yeah. Especially because he raced very hard and I had a lot of fun. Luckily, we didn’t crash, because then I would have no way to get home probably,” Bortoleto joked, as he often travels to and from races in Alonso’s plane.

“This is just the beginning, though: for me, it means to keep pushing, keep improving, and aim for even bigger results. The battle with Fernando at the end was a fun one – he didn’t make it easy!”

Alonso himself had to use all the guile he has learned over the years to keep Bortoleto at bay, including teasing an overtake on race winner Lando Norris in the closing stages, having just been lapped by the McLaren.

“I didn’t want to pass Lando, but I could not stay just behind Lando, because then Gabi would pass me, so I had to try different moves to confuse a little bit Gabi on what I was doing, and it worked fine,” explained Alonso.

“It was very special, I think he has been outstanding this year. This weekend especially has been incredible, but for one reason or another, [Nico] Hulkenberg always scored the points on Sundays, so this was, maybe not fair in Gabriel’s head sometimes.

“So, it’s good that he unlocked now this thing and hopefully the first of many points in Formula 1.”

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Sauber’s overall progress can be marked by the fact it enjoyed a double points finish at the Red Bull Ring, with Hulkenberg coming home ninth to extend his top 10 finishes to three successive races.

It is a far cry from last season when the team, which will finally be fully rebranded as Audi from 2026, had to wait until the penultimate race of the year to score its only points of the campaign.

Hulkenberg and Bortoleto are both new to the team and the former was not surprised to see the improvements from his junior team-mate, who also reached Q3 for the first time in Austria to qualify eighth.

Asked if he was happy for Bortoleto, Hulkenberg replied: “Yeah, very happy. It was coming. It was very clear. I see how he works, how he drives, and I know how good he is.

“I could see it coming from a long way, from a long time. So, very happy for him and for the entire team, double points. I don’t know, that must go back quite some time for the team. So, yeah, very happy and positive day and try to keep that momentum.”