Gabriel Bortoleto has said he feels he is “on another planet” after clinching the Formula 2 title at the first attempt.
The Invicta driver’s title comes on the back of a championship-winning campaign in F3 last term, where he also achieved the honour as a rookie.
“It’s the best feeling in the world. I cannot explain what I am feeling right now,” said Bortoleto.
“It’s just so much adrenaline, so much happiness. Everyone is here to support me – all my family, my sponsors, the whole of Brazil watching us and waking up at six in the morning there. I gave them back happiness on the Sunday morning.
“It’s a dream for me to win F2 in a row after F3, as a rookie. It’s just amazing and I’m not thinking right now. I’m on another planet.”
The championship was all but sealed within the opening metres of the race after rival Isack Hadjar stalled and was wheeled back into the pits, dropping a lap behind the field and needing a safety car intervention to aid his progress.
With four and a half points separating the pair ahead of the season-ending feature race and the duo starting second and third, Bortoleto leading the way in both instances, the pressure could not have been higher.
Although Bortoleto took minimal risks following a frantic lap one, when asked how he managed the race after learning of Hadjar's fate, he conceded: “To be honest, I was so focused on winning the race that I didn’t understand.
“I asked my engineer on the last lap ‘Where is Isack?’. I don’t know why I asked that. I was in another level with something weird going on. I didn’t know if Isack was out or in. I was just focused on getting Victor [Martins] and then [race winner] Joshua [Durksen].
“I almost got Joshua in the end but congratulations to him on the win and I’m super happy to win the championship.”
Bortoleto will now make the step up to F1 with Sauber, where he and new team-mate Nico Hulkenberg will fill the seats vacated by Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas.
