Gabriel Bortoleto reveals frustration during Australian GP: “I was complaining”

Gabriel Bortoleto has shed light on what he and Sauber believe could have been the contributing factors behind his crash at the Australian Grand Prix. He revealed ongoing brake problems and minor contact with Nico Hulkenberg, both of which could have affected his car. As the Brazilian driver readied himself for the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix, he’s keen to move on from a difficult Formula 1 season opener.

Speaking with the media, including Motorsport.com, at the Shanghai circuit, the rookie detailed how his brake issues compromised his Melbourne race. 

“Well, from the brake problems I stand to what I said during the whole race, you know, whoever was in my radio, in watching the race, I was complaining from the brakes since lap one,” he explained. Though he refrained from talking specifics, there was also clearly an issue with his suspension, potentially causing the abrupt end to his Albert Park campaign on lap 46.

This was clearly more complex than the driver had initially thought, with the car looking like it sustained suspension failure after the minor contact with his team-mate.

“I had a problem, you know, I’m not gonna go into detail what was the problem, but we had a problem. Suspension,” Bortoleto elaborated. “That’s a question that I think we also struggled [with] inside the team to understand exactly what happened there… what is clear for us is that there was a contact I think with Nico, like, you know, racing incident completely like was a very small contact in T3. We were side by side. He had a small snap and touched my rear tire.”

This collision was apparently so slight that Bortoleto “didn’t even feel at the moment,” only becoming aware of it when reviewing race footage.

Sauber has begun an investigation into why this took place, as Bortoleto admits they are yet to “have a clear answer.”

“Maybe that’s one of the options, but there is nothing clear for us and we don’t have a clear answer for that, but they are studying this, analysing it back in the factory to try to understand the real reason why it broke and if there was actually an influence in my spin as well, the corner before or if it was purely myself getting the kerb.” 

The young driver was clearly motivated out there, as several other rookies succumbed to the challenging weather conditions. Of the six rookies who started the race, four crashed either during the formation lap or the first full lap of the race. Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz also left the track, retiring early.