Bortoleto was born on 14 October 2004 in Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil. His father, Lincoln Oliveira, is chief executive officer and co-owner of the Stock Car Pro Series in Brazil and founded Americanet in 1996, which merged with Vero in 2023 to become one of the largest internet service providers in Brazil with a revenue of R$1.9 billion (US$380 million). The family also operates KTF Sports, a Stock Car Pro Series and kart racing team. His older brother, Enzo, formerly competed in BRDC British Formula 3. His racing idol is Ayrton Senna.
Bortoleto began karting in October 2011 and entered the Campeonato Sulbrasileiro de Kart in 2012. He moved to Europe at age eleven to pursue a racing career. His most successful karting year was 2018, when he finished third in the European and World Championships in OK-Junior and became vice-champion in both the WSK Super Master Series and the Andrea Margutti Trophy.
Bortoleto made his car-racing debut in the 2020 Italian F4 Championship with Prema Powerteam, partnering Sebastián Montoya, Gabriele Minì, and Dino Beganovic. His first win came at Mugello in the fourth round. He added podiums at Monza and finished fifth in the championship — ahead of Montoya but behind Beganovic and champion Minì.
In March 2021 Bortoleto joined the Formula Regional European Championship with FA Racing, run by MP Motorsport. He scored his first points at Imola and ended the year 15th in the standings.
For 2022 Bortoleto moved to R-ace GP. He won at Spa — inheriting victory after teammate Hadrien David was penalised — and at Barcelona, finishing sixth overall.
Bortoleto tested with Trident at the 2022 FIA Formula 3 post-season test at Jerez alongside Oliver Goethe and Leonardo Fornaroli, and was the first driver announced for the 2023 season. At Bahrain he was penalised for causing a collision and fell outside the points in race one, but won the feature race after Gabriele Minì received a post-race penalty. At Albert Park he claimed pole and a second consecutive feature race victory. He maintained a consistent points streak through five further rounds before a weak round at Spa — where Dino Beganovic's contact forced him to retire — left him with a 38-point advantage heading into the Monza finale. When Paul Aron and Pepe Martí failed to take pole in Monza qualifying, Bortoleto was crowned FIA Formula 3 champion.
Bortoleto entered Formula 2 with Invicta Racing alongside Alpine Academy driver Kush Maini. He was elevated to pole for the Bahrain opener after Maini was disqualified for a technical infringement and scored points in both races despite contact with Isack Hadjar at the start of the feature. Difficult rounds followed in Jeddah and Melbourne, where mechanical failures and on-track incidents brought retirements.
Bortoleto took pole at Imola and scored his first F2 podium with second in the feature race. At Austria he passed race leader Joshua Dürksen and resisted Pepe Martí to claim his maiden F2 victory. He continued scoring but collected penalties for incidents at Silverstone and Barcelona.
At Monza, Bortoleto spun in qualifying without setting a time, starting last for both races. In the sprint he charged to eighth, sharing the final point with Dennis Hauger in a dead-heat finish. The feature race became his standout result of the year: a well-timed safety car following his pit stop allowed him to emerge ahead of all drivers who had already stopped, and he drove to a last-to-first victory — the first driver to win from the back of the grid in Formula 2 history. This performance earned him the Mecachrome Outstanding Win Award.
At Baku, Bortoleto led the championship by 4.5 points over Hadjar after finishing fifth in the sprint and fourth in the feature. In Qatar he crossed the line first in the feature but was demoted for crossing the pit entry line, effectively handing positions back to Aron and Hadjar and reducing his championship lead to half a point entering the finale.
At Yas Island, a charge from ninth to second in the sprint gave Bortoleto a four-point cushion for the final race, as Hadjar finished fifth. In the feature, Hadjar stalled on the grid while Bortoleto took the lead from Victor Martins at turn one. Although he was passed by Dürksen after the pit stops, Bortoleto finished second and was crowned Formula 2 champion. He became the fourth driver in the FIA Formula 2 era to win the FIA F3 and F2 titles in successive years, following Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri, and the second Brazilian to win the F2 title after Felipe Drugovich in 2022.
In September 2022, Bortoleto joined A14 Management, Fernando Alonso's driver management company. After winning the Formula 3 title, he signed with the McLaren Driver Development Programme in October 2023. He completed his first Formula One test at the Red Bull Ring in September 2024, driving the McLaren MCL36.
Sauber COO and CTO Mattia Binotto identified Bortoleto as a contender for a 2025 seat. Three-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen and race winner Oscar Piastri endorsed his selection; McLaren team principal Andrea Stella confirmed he would allow Bortoleto to leave the academy for Sauber.
Bortoleto signed for Sauber for 2025 on a multi-year deal extending beyond the 2026 regulation changes, partnering Nico Hülkenberg and replacing Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. He was released from the McLaren programme on signing.
On debut at the Australian Grand Prix, Bortoleto progressed to Q2, outqualifying Hülkenberg, before crashing out in changing conditions. He suffered a final-lap collision with Jack Doohan in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint and finished fourteenth in the main race after spinning on the opening lap. In Bahrain he described the C45 as "undriveable." He retired from the Miami Grand Prix main race with a fuel system issue while running thirteenth.
Upgrades for the Spanish Grand Prix left Sauber as a midfield challenger; Bortoleto qualified and finished twelfth. In Austria he claimed his maiden points finish — qualifying eighth and fighting Fernando Alonso for seventh in the closing laps — becoming the first Brazilian to score Formula One points since 2017. He gambled on slick tyres on the formation lap in the wet British Grand Prix and crashed out three laps later.
He claimed ninth in both the sprint and feature race in Belgium. At the Hungarian Grand Prix he qualified seventh, stayed past curfew on Friday to work on his setup with his engineers, and held off Lance Stroll for sixth. At the São Paulo sprint he suffered a 57 g barrier collision at the Senna 'S' while battling Alexander Albon for tenth, forcing him to miss qualifying for his home Grand Prix. Starting last at the São Paulo Grand Prix, he recovered places before being tagged by Stroll's Aston Martin, ending his home race early.
Bortoleto is contracted to retain his seat alongside Hülkenberg at the re-branded Audi in 2026.
FIA Rookie of the Year: 2024
Anthoine Hubert Award: 2024
Aramco Best Rookie Award: 2023
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