One thing I've been thinking about for a long time and finally decided to put out there: where is the Brazilian support for Gabi?
Recently, I came across this comment on TikTok that left me quite thoughtful and, to be honest, upset:
(It was a video about Rafa)
A chronic problem in Brazil that is widely debated is how the public tends to support only athletes who are winning at the top. I see a lot of this with João Fonseca in tennis, too, for example.
This makes me feel bad. Before seeing this comment, I imagined that the lack of attachment to Gabriel might be because he went to Europe very young. But Franco went too, and he gets a massive wave of support. Is it because they think Gabi doesn't have a strong Brazilian identity
To me, he is Brazilian as hell. I see it in his mannerisms, the way he talks in interviews, and how he jokes around.
Maybe he just doesn't fit the stereotypes people expect. Seeing how little support Gabi gets here in Brazil compared to Franco really bothers me. I don't even know if this comment was actually made by a Brazilian.
Every time I watch a broadcast, an older relative who doesn't even watch Formula 1 and has never watched it comes up with the same script: "Who is the Brazilian? Where is he? Is he down there?! Brazil isn't the same since Ayrton Senna!"
I know how big Senna was, but man, they talk as if we hadn't had phenomenal drivers like Emerson Fittipaldi, Rubens Barrichello, and Felipe Massa. People who don't even follow the sport already dismiss Gabi, and even those who watch do the same.
I wanted to share this annoyance here. This isn't an attack on anyone! I'm just extremely frustrated as a Brazilian and as a Gabi fan.
