Gabriel Bortoleto is keeping expectations in check as he prepares for a first home Formula One outing in Brazil at a track he has only raced on once before in a stock car event.
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The 21-year-old Sauber rookie, who will be the first Brazilian to start a grand prix at Sao Paulo's atmospheric Interlagos circuit since Felipe Massa in 2017, said he would seek to treat it like any other race.
"I won't lie, there's obviously more expectation, more anxiety from all sides. But, at the end of the day, it's a race that offers the same number of points," Bortoleto told reporters. "I want to treat it the same way and just do my best.
"The expectation will always be there, but it won't change the final result. So, the important thing is for us to give our best, prepare for the weekend as best we can, and do our job on the track," he added.
'NEW TRACK'
The Brazilian, who won the Formula Two championship last year after clinching the Formula Three title the season before, spent much of his career in Europe and acknowledged his limited experience of the Sao Paulo track.
"It's kind of a new track for me," said the rookie, whose previous race there was a 2022 stock car event.
He left Brazil for European karting aged 11, with him and his family believing the move could be the best and fastest route to Formula One.
"It's been a few years since that race happened. It was a really fun one, we enjoyed it and got to understand the track a little bit. But I don't think you can take too much from it," he added.
Aware of Interlagos' famously fickle weather, the home driver said rain would ideally be welcome during practice to test conditions ahead of qualifying.
"But in the end, it's not about what I want. Whatever happens, happens. It's the same for everyone, so let's go for it," he added.
Bortoleto, 19th in the drivers' championship with 19 points, is coming off a hard-fought 10th-place finish in the Mexican Grand Prix and has drawn praise from veterans, including his teammate Nico Hulkenberg.
"Gabi is one of the most promising rookies I've seen in a long, long time," the 38-year-old German told reporters on Thursday. "He's very high quality, an extremely fast learner, extremely quick."