JUST IN: Gabriel Bortoleto Reflects on Costly L…read more
JUST IN: Gabriel Bortoleto Reflects on Costly L…read more
Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto admitted he is “not proud of” his first-lap spin in the Chinese Grand Prix, which hindered his chances of securing his first Formula 1 points. The Brazilian faced an uphill battle after losing control at Turn 6 while attempting to overtake Haas driver Oliver Bearman, sending his car into the gravel.
Tough Start for Bortoleto
Starting 19th on the grid, Bortoleto’s spin forced him to rejoin the track and pit at the end of the first lap. This put him on a two-stop strategy, in contrast to most competitors who only pitted once. The setback meant he struggled to 17th place in his first dry F1 race before ultimately being classified 14th after post-race disqualifications for Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly.
Reflecting on the incident, Bortoleto acknowledged his mistake, attributing it to track conditions and turbulence from nearby cars.
“It wasa shame from Lap 1 obviously I’m not proud of what happened there,” he told F1’s official site. “I went to overtake Ollie and then got too much rubber on the outside of the track. I was in the dirty line and I lost the rear, couldn’t keep it and, you know, Lap 1 [there was] a lot of turbulence as well, [I] did a mistake and spun.”
Despite the disappointment, Bortoleto found a silver lining in being able to complete the race. “I was happy to not get trapped in the gravel and be able to run the whole race and experience a bit of a dry race in Formula 1 it was my first full dry race here, so understanding our pace and how we were comparing to the others, that was not bad.”
A Difficult Outing for Sauber
Sauber’s weekend in Shanghai proved challenging, with teammate Nico Hülkenberg also encountering issues. Hulkenberg dropped from 12th to 19th after running off at Turn 3, damaging his car’s floor and compromising his performance. While he avoided an unscheduled pit stop, he could only recover to 15th place.
“Out of Turn 3, I just completely lost the rear of the car… I went wide at the exit, through the gravel, and lost all the positions basically, but also more frustratingly damaged the floor,” Hulkenberg explained. “I lost load after that, which obviously made things very tricky today.
While Bortoleto admitted that a points finish was unlikely even without the early mistake, he had hoped to be more competitive.
“I think it was difficult to beat them anyway even if I stayed on track, maybe I could have gained one position in front of Jack Doohan, maybe. But, to be honest, it’s difficult to say. Obviously, I wanted to be a bit in the fight, to have a bit of fun, but it is what it is.”
With lessons learned from the Chinese Grand Prix, both Bortoleto and Sauber will aim for a stronger showing in the next race as they continue their development in the 2024 season.
