Gym, sim and working from the same page: Getting to know the Invicta Racing teammates

Invicta Racing teammates Kush Maini and Gabriel Bortoleto are over halfway through their 2024 campaign, so they’ve had plenty of time to get to know each other.
But just how well-versed are they now? Well, we put their teammate partnership to the test and quizzed them both about the other.
So just how well do Invicta teammates know one another?
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TEAMMATE?
Gabriel Bortoleto: “Kush is a very nice, smart guy. Very committed to the team and everyone around him. He’s an easy guy to deal with and sometimes a pain in my… no I’m just joking! He’s nice and we have a good relationship, looking forward to the rest of the year with him.”
Kush Maini: “Gabi is a professional most of the time. He’s good fun to hang around with, we have good banter. Very nice guy, very good morals, brought up well.”
WHAT IS YOUR TEAMMATE’S BEST QUALITY?
Maini: “Too many! But I would say – he has good morals in the sense that, understanding right and wrong, what’s the word I’m looking for?”
Bortoleto: “Justice.”
Maini: “No! Let’s just go with respectful.”
Bortoleto: “I think Kush is very professional with everyone, brings a good spirit around with him and I think this is very important especially in a teammate, having someone who’s a team player around.”
IF YOUR TEAMMATE WASN’T A RACING DRIVER, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Bortoleto: “I think Kush would be a singer.”
Maini: “I do like karaoke.”
Bortoleto: “No I have a better one!”
Maini: “You’re going to say bodybuilder, aren’t you?”
Bortoleto: “Yeah! He’d be a bodybuilder for sure.”
Maini: “He’d be a gamer.”
Bortoleto: “Probably, yeah.”
READ MORE: ‘The first time I saw it I was completely in love’: Gabriel Bortoleto on his Senna tribute helmet
WHAT IS YOUR TEAMMATE’S MOST ANNOYING HABIT?
Maini: “I don’t think anything annoys me.”
Bortoleto: “Me neither, I can’t think of anything that’s annoying. We’re chill you know?”
Maini: “It’s annoying when one of us is quicker than the other, that’s annoying.”
Bortoleto: “Every driver in the world can say that.”
Maini: “Nothing else really annoys me though.”
WHO’S THE FUNNIEST?
Maini: “We all have our moments. I think it’s 50/50.”
Bortoleto: “I think most of the time, I’m saying jokes, not always funny but when Kush says a joke, it’s funny. He has a better rate.”
WHAT’S THE MOST EMBARASSING THING YOU’VE DONE WHILST ON THE SAME TEAM?
Bortoleto: “Most embarrassing thing we’ve done together as teammates? Probably making jokes with Andy trying to get him to laugh.”
Maini: “Yeah! We both wanted to see what the washing situation was in the team, and I was talking to Gabriel, and he said we should go ask Andy, and when we went to ask him he threw me under the bus and said ‘this guy’s too lazy,’ so that was pretty embarrassing for me.”
IF YOU HAD TO COOK A MEAL FOR YOUR TEAMMATE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Bortoleto: “I’m very good at Pasta Pomodoro. I think I would do that because it’s the best thing I can cook.”
Maini: “He’s a good cook as well. You’re getting an oven pizza or something from me!”
WHO’S THE BETTER LOOKING?
Maini: “Gabi.”
Bortoleto: “Kush.”
WHO KNOWS THE MOST ABOUT CARS?
Bortoleto: “It depends, Formula 2 or road cars? I’m not actually a big car fan, so Kush probably. He’s older than me, has more experience.”
Maini: “Even I’m not such a big fan of road cars.”
Bortoleto: “We’re probably very similar in that sense.”
WHO’S ON THEIR PHONE THE MOST AND WHO TAKES THE LONGEST TO REPLY TO A TEXT?
Bortoleto: “Kush 100% He takes years to reply! This is 100% true.”
Maini: “I think I’d have to agree with that.”
Bortoleto: “I think I spend the most time on my phone. Not a crazy amount of time, but definitely more than Kush because I never see him with his phone out.”
READ MORE: Oliver Bearman on 2024 so far and why he has high hopes for a final F2 flourish
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST THING YOU’VE LEARNED FROM EACH OTHER?
Bortoleto: “Hmm. I think professionalism.”
Maini: “I think Gabi is much older than his age, very mature, very collected and calm. I haven’t seen that in many teammates in the past so that helps within the team. Also keeps that professional environment for us both to push more. That’s how it is, bad session or good session, he’s very composed.”
Bortoleto: “Yeah, I think it’s the same for me. Kush is very professional in the sense of he knows when it’s time to joke and when it’s not. I’m a young guy still and sometimes you want to make a joke or something but it’s time to work. I think Kush is very good at knowing how to read that at any time, so I’m still learning this! Not fully there yet.”
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SAY TO THE OTHER BUT HAVEN’T YET?
Maini: “We have no filter, so he’s heard everything.”
Bortoleto: “Yeah him too.”
WHO SPENDS THE MOST TIME IN THE GYM AND WHO’S ON THE SIM MORE?
Bortoleto: “Man that’s not even a question!
Maini: “This is easy.”
Bortoleto: “Kush in the gym and myself on the sim.”
Maini: “That’s been the best question, easiest for us.”
Bortoleto: “100%”
WHO WOULD WIN IN AN ARM WRESTLING MATCH?
Bortoleto: “Kush. His arm is like double the size of mine! We need to try it though, let’s do it.”