Gabriel Bortoleto’s debut as an F1 driver at Interlagos lasted less than one lap. This Sunday (9), the Brazilian started from the pits and was involved in an accident in the duckbill, just before the access climb to the main straight.
The Sauber driver crashed into the wall protection after colliding with the rear wheel of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll’s car. It was the Brazilian’s second accident this weekend.
Your presence on the grid for the race. On Saturday (8), the São Paulo driver suffered a serious accident on the last lap of the sprint, when he lost control of his car at the end of the main straight, spinning and crashing twice, into the pit wall and at Curva do Sol.
At the time of the accident, he was traveling at 339 km/h. The first impact had a force of 34G, and the second was 57G.
With less than three hours before the start of the qualifying session, Sauber opted to work on a new chassis, but there was no time to get it ready to compete in qualifying, which raised doubts about its fitness to compete in the race.
According to Article 44.1 of the F1 code of rules, written by the FIA (International Automobile Federation), “any car that does not complete a reconnaissance lap and does not reach the grid under its own power will not be allowed to start the race from the grid”.
Elsewhere, in Article 39.1, the document states that if a driver’s lap exceeds “107% of the fastest established time”, if he “fails to record a time in Q1 or his laps are deleted”, or if he “is disqualified by the stewards”, he will be considered unfit for Sunday’s race.
The rulebook, however, also sets out exceptions. The stewards, for example, can give permission for the driver to compete, evaluating on a case-by-case basis, depending on some circumstances, such as the record of an acceptable lap time in a book training session and his general performance throughout the season.
The biggest concern in Bortoleto’s case, however, was his health due to the impact of the crash. This could be decisive for FIA authorization. But, soon after the accident, he went to the Interlagos medical center, where nothing serious was found.
Still, there was apprehension in the Sauber pits. While the mechanics were trying to recover the car, a movement formed in the paddock in front of the team access. Gabriel Bortoleto’s manager, Fernando Alonso left the Aston Martin pit and went to meet his pupil to find out how he was doing. In addition to confirming that the Brazilian was recovering well, he spoke briefly with his father, Lincoln Oliveira, who maintained a calm appearance despite the scare.
“Gabriel has always managed to reinvent. Just remember Monza [na F2 em 2024]. There, he started last and won the race. A lot can happen. It doesn’t matter where he’s starting from, he looks for the best and knows how to do it. Running at home is always something different. The current in Interlagos F1 is more than we expected,” he told Sheet.
Isabella Bernardini, Bortoleto’s girlfriend, also followed the program in the paddock over the weekend. “Gabriel is very calm before the race. He is very focused and that calms me down too. I feel calm. He has technical knowledge and separates things to focus on the right moment. He takes advantage of the fans when he can. When he closes his visor, it is total focus on everything he has worked for for many years to get here”, he said.
In addition to his family, the Brazilian attracted a legion of fans to the stands. The expectation surrounding his name is due to the fact that, since 2017, when Felipe Massa left F1, fans who go to Interlagos did not have a compatriot to support.
