Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto endured a frustrating F1 Chinese GP, with an early spin derailing his chances of making progress. The Brazilian rookie, who was making just his second start, admitted he was “not proud” of his mistake after losing control on the opening lap.
Despite the setback, he managed to recover valuable track time, eventually finishing P14 after post-race disqualifications of the Ferrari duo and Pierre Gasly.
Bortoleto, starting from the back row, was eager to make up positions quickly but found himself in trouble when attempting an overtake on fellow rookie, Ollie Bearman’s Haas. His aggressive move on the outside backfired as he lost grip on the dirty part of the track, spinning into the gravel at Turn 7.
Reflecting on the moment, he didn’t shy away from taking responsibility. Speaking in the print media zone he said:
“Well, yeah, a shame. From lap one, obviously not proud of what happened there. I went to overtake Ollie [Bearman] 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.”
Gabriel Bortoletto salvaged his weekend with his first F1 dry race
The Brazilian rejoined at the back and made an early pit stop. He then focused on gaining experience in his first full dry F1 race after crashing out of the rain-soaked race in Melbourne.
“In lap one, [there was] a lot of turbulence as well, I did a mistake and spun. But to be honest, we know a bit where we are. I was happy to, honestly, 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.”
He added, “It was my first full dry race here, so understanding our pace and how we were comparing to the others, that was not bad. Honestly, it was good for learning, managing the tyres and everything else.”
Bortoleto’s race, though compromised from the start, turned into a test session of sorts as he focused on learning rather than battling for positions. While the Racing Bulls appeared particularly strong, he conceded that his realistic target would have been a battle with Jack Doohan rather than a charge through the midfield.
Speaking on their chances of beating the Racing Bulls he said, “Yeah, I think it was difficult to beat them anyway, even if I stayed on track. Maybe [could’ve gained] one position in front of Doohan. 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.”
The experience of completing the race proved useful, even if it wasn’t under ideal circumstances. With Sauber still struggling for outright pace, Bortoleto used the opportunity to understand the car’s performance in clean air and manage his tyres effectively to claw back with a P14 finish.
Bortoletto compares his first two race weekends
The Chinese GP posed different challenges compared to Melbourne, where he made his F1 debut in a race of mixed conditions. With Shanghai offering more room for error than the tight street layout of Albert Park, he acknowledged that familiarity with the circuit plays a major role in performance.
Comparing the two tracks, he said: “Obviously, if you know the track, it’s much better and you have more experience. The track is not as difficult as Melbourne definitely because it’s not a street circuit. You can afford more mistakes like I did in the first lap and managed to still come back to the track.
“No secrets in this track. It was a shame what happened in lap one. It was my fault there. We moved on from that one and started doing our own race pace by ourselves.”
While the Brazilian’s Chinese GP didn’t go as planned, his mature approach to the setback highlights his focus on long-term development. With more experience under his belt, he’ll be looking to cut down on mistakes and capitalize on any opportunities that come his way in the coming races.
