Gabriel Bortoleto did not experience the home race he had hoped for in São Paulo. A severe crash in the sprint race, followed by a second crash in the Grand Prix, made the weekend tough for the 21-year-old Brazilian. Despite the disappointing result, Bortoleto thanked the Brazilian fans after the race.
Bortoleto had a weekend to forget in his home country. The Brazilian had a challenging São Paulo Grand Prix and retired early after a collision with Lance Stroll in the opening phase of the race. “It was a tough weekend. I am very disappointed because it’s my home race and you always expect a good result, or at least a decent race. I think this is one of the toughest weekends of my entire career, especially because I see my fans, my family, and my team here – this means a lot to them too,” he said afterwards.
The sprint race also went poorly for Bortoleto. In the final lap, while trying to overtake Alexander Albon, he lost control of his Sauber and ended up against the tire barrier. The crash was also one of the worst of his career. “I had one of my biggest accidents so far, probably the biggest. After that, I couldn’t drive a single lap in the Grand Prix, even though I had a good start. Until that point, I had already moved up two positions and I was going for the third when I had contact with Lance. I just want to look ahead and focus on the next race,” Bortoleto said.
Bortoleto Grateful for Home Crowd Support
Despite the disappointing result, Bortoleto felt supported by his fans. “Even during the toughest moments of this weekend, they were there for me: they supported me, cheered, called my name. I can’t thank them enough for that. It’s incredible to see how happy my country becomes and how much people are there for you. I hope I can make them proud soon, because weekends like this make no one happy.”
