Sauber rookie Gabriel Boltreto feels things are finally “clicking” after moving on to the third quarter for the first time at the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Teammate Nico Halkenberg died last after a tough day at Spielberg, but Boltreto plunged into the final foot of qualifying with an impressive performance, earning a career-high eighth place on the grid.
The Brazilian driver was able to overtake fellow Formula One rookie Kimi Antoneri, eventually two-tenths later than eighth F1 champion Max Verstappen.
Boltreto is one of only three drivers who can’t score points this year, but with confidence from the first session on Friday, he feels that Austria could be a turning point for his campaign.
“I think trucks are very special to me,” Boltreto said.
“I’m experiencing more and more cars, teams and series experiences, and it’s just the beginning, not even half of this season.
“I work very hard, I know what I need from my side from the car, and I feel more and more comfortable with it and know what I need before the weekend begins.
“I feel like it’s my first weekend that I’ve been so comfortable since FP1. It feels like things are clicking for me and I’m going in the right direction.”
Sauber introduced an updated floor design in Spielberg, combined with a new high-downforce rear wing for increased performance.
The new package played its role in qualifying, but Boltreto believes his results are lower due to the experience he gained in the opening 10th round of the season.
“I feel like I’m more confident in my car,” he said. “Not only from an upgrade, but from an understanding with yourself and ().
“At the beginning of the season, when you jump into a car, it’s basically a different feeling. It’s like every FP1. I don’t know how the car behaves, but as you get more and more familiar with the car, you start to limit it early in the weekend, and you start working yourself in driving and feel like you’re heading in this direction this week.
Looking ahead to Sunday, Boltreto said he doesn’t pay much attention to the start of the race, but will not indulge in unnecessary fights with faster cars.
“It (the position of the grid) doesn’t change much. My approach to the start, I try to get the best possible start (and) some positions.
“If I can’t get it, I’ll stay there and try to create the best race pace I can do to score points tomorrow.”
He added: “Obviously, it doesn’t make sense to fight people who can’t go ahead. But I’m certainly a racer. I’m trying to get positions early in the race and see what happens.
“But I’m not focusing on overtaking people who probably know I have a better pace than me, like Verstappen, because it probably just destroys your tires.