When Formula 1® held its first World Championship Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos in 1973, Brazil's Emerson Fittipaldi was the reigning World Champion. Fittipaldi, born in São Paulo, was Brazil's first World Champion and would go on to win the crown again the following season.

Brazil has a rich history of F1® heroes, from three-time champion Nelson Piquet to Ayrton Senna, a Brazilian icon who transcended the sport. Rubens Barrichello, despite his luckless home races, and Felipe Massa, who so very nearly won the title at his home event in 2008, also received warm welcomes each time they took to the track.

Paulistanos, paulistas and Brazilian fans across the country have always had strong relationships with their local heroes, and the same can be said for the nation's latest hope, Gabriel Bortoleto. He makes his second home race appearance – his first with Audi Revolut F1® Team – at this weekend's São Paulo Grand Prix.

Hailing from Osasco, around 30 km from Interlagos, Gabi first climbed into a kart at the age of just six. It would be a defining moment in his childhood. Racing in a bright blue kart in São Paulo, he recalls how the experience – the smell of the engine oil and the sensation of speed – ignited what would become a lifelong passion.

From there, he was rarely out of the kart. Next door to the Interlagos circuit is a smaller karting track, where Gabi spent plenty of time getting up to speed in his youth. From its walls, he even caught glimpses of the on-track action on the Grand Prix circuit.

At the age of 11, with financial support from his family, Gabi left Brazil to pursue a professional racing career in Europe. He has spoken of how hard it was to leave his family behind and build a career on a new continent. But his family put their faith in his talent and dedication – as did Gabi himself. Just a decade later, he would be on the Formula 1® grid.

To get there, he rose through the karting ranks with top three finishes in European and World Championships, which he describes as some of his proudest moments on the racing ladder. He also finished runner-up in both the WSK Super Master Series and the prestigious Andrea Margutti Trophy.

Gabi's single-seater debut followed in 2020 in the Italian F4 Championship. Within four rounds, he had stood on every step of the podium, taking a maiden win at Mugello. He then spent two seasons in Formula Regional, which included wins at Spa-Francorchamps and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Gabi took the cut-throat nature and pressures of a junior series paddock in his stride, winning the Formula 3® and Formula 2® titles back-to-back at the first attempt in each, in 2023 and 2024. It's a rare feat, and one that caught the attention of the F1® paddock. From winning on his debut weekend in Formula 3® to taking victory from the back of the grid at Monza in Formula 2®, Gabi's star was rising.

His Formula 1® debut followed in 2025, and Gabi showed on numerous occasions why he had earned his place at the pinnacle. A sixth-place finish in Hungary was the highlight of a rookie season in which he scored points five times in the ten races before his first outing in front of his home fans.

Despite being a local, Gabi had little experience at Interlagos ahead of his São Paulo Grand Prix debut last year. He had driven the track just once before, in a GT car in 2021, and had watched the 2023 and 2024 Grands Prix from the paddock.

The 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix weekend didn't go his way. A crash on the final lap of the Saturday morning Sprint ruled him out of qualifying, and a first-lap collision ended his Grand Prix after just ten corners. Yet the feeling is that Gabi's home-race moment is still to come.

His first home race result may have been disappointing, but the experience of racing at home was anything but. In his own words, it was one of the most amazing experiences of his life. Describing himself as connected to his people, Gabi relished the opportunity.

A fellow paulistano, Ayrton Senna is, unsurprisingly, Gabi's idol. Senna's famous racing colours already appear on his helmet. For the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix, his first home race with Audi Revolut F1® Team, Gabi pays homage to his idol with a special design.

The striking white helmet, with a drawing of Senna on top, is a tribute to a figure in Brazilian racing history whose influence extended well beyond the track. Gabi's admiration for Senna runs deeper than his well-storied on-track achievements: Senna represented national pride, hope and resilience during a turbulent period in Brazil's history.

Gabi heads home having picked up his third top eight finish of the season just last weekend in Mexico City, his fourth points-scoring appearance in 2026. But for Gabi, success in Formula 1® is about more than results. He wants to give Brazilian fans something to celebrate and to inspire those in the grandstands at Interlagos this weekend.

As he returns to São Paulo for a second home race, he'll once again have the support of a crowd that knows what it means to see one of its own on the F1® grid. Vai com tudo, Gabi!