Gabriel Bortoleto was looking to overtake Alexander Albon on the last lap of the sprint race in Interlagos, this Saturday (8), when he lost control of his car and crashed at the end of the main.
It was the Brazilian’s second frustration on his debut weekend at the São Paulo F1 GP. On Friday (7), he also made a mistake in qualifying, was eliminated in Q2 and only started in 14th.
Recognized in the paddock for the maturity he shows despite his young age — he is 21 years old —, the Sauber driver admitted in an interview with Sheet days before arriving in Brazil, which is experiencing the most anxious moment in its first season in the main category of motorsport.
“To be honest, I’m not going to lie, I’m really excited,” he said.
On Friday (7), in qualifying for the sprint, he stated that he was capable of advancing to Q3, but was unable to achieve a good lap to enter the dispute with the top ten.
Despite having started at the back of the field, he managed to gain positions in the sprint and was once again looking for a position in the Top-10 when he suffered the accident.
Euphoric with the possibility of supporting a driver from Brazil again, something that hadn’t happened since 2017, when Felipe Massa left F1, Brazilian fans had frustrated faces after the sprint.
In the title fight, Lando Norris showed that he is in luck. In addition to winning the short race, he managed to extend his lead in the F1 World Championship. He scored eight points and even saw his McLaren teammate and runner-up in the championship, Oscar Piastri, abandon the race before the seventh lap.
Now, the difference between them is nine points (365 to 356). Fourth in the shortest race, just behind Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, both from Mercedes, Max Verstappen added five points and reached 326, maintaining third position in the World Championship.
The storm that hit throughout the morning in São Paulo left the track damp. Although the race started without rain, the cars raised water in some sections.
The start was clean, with Lando Norris defending his pole well, followed by Kimi Antonelli, in second position, and Oscar Piastri, in third.
On the seventh lap, however, the race was suspended with a red flag after Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto and Nico Hulkenberg spun at Curva do Sol and hit the wall. The dispute was stopped for around 25 minutes for repairs in the protection area where the cars collided.
Gabriel Bortoleto’s Sauber teammate, Hulkenberg ended up benefiting from the break, as the team managed to repair his car in time to return to the track. He finished 18th, in last position.
In the front group, the main dispute involved Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, respectively fifth, sixth and seventh. Despite the pressure, the Spaniard from Aston Martin managed to hold off the momentum of the two Ferrari cars.
Further ahead, Norris drove a safe race to confirm victory, while Mercedes cars completed the podium, with Antonelli and George Russell in second and third, respectively.
“It was difficult. That makes this victory a little more satisfying, especially with Kimi, who didn’t make my life very easy. This was one of those races where you knew you needed to speed up, taking a little more risk. I had a few scares. The wind was also quite complicated. It wasn’t an easy race”, said Norris.
