Gabriel Bortoleto admits he was very upset after withdrawing from both races during his first Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos as a Formula 1 driver.
The Sauber rookie was battling for positions late in the sprint when he suffered a massive accident at Turn 1, losing control on a damp track and suffering an impact estimated at 57G. That meant Bortoleto just missed qualifying despite a valiant effort by his team to rebuild a car for him, and the Brazilian subsequently crashed on the opening lap of Sunday’s race during a battle with Lance Stroll.
“Tough weekend,” Bortoleto said. “I’m just very upset because it’s my first home race. You always expect to do a good job or at least race a little.”
“I think it’s been one of the toughest weekends of my entire career because I see my fans are here, my family and my team. It’s very important for them too. I also had one of the biggest accidents of my career, probably the biggest… I think it’s a combination of things.”
“And then I didn’t do a single lap in the race, having had a good start up until that point. I think I was already two positions higher, going for the third move and just making contact with Lance. I don’t want to point fingers here and there. I just think it’s a racing incident. Anything can happen on the first lap.”
“I think I was clearly on the outside. I didn’t get any space from him, but it was also difficult for him to judge that I’m there. So I just want to move on and go for the next race.”
Despite the disappointment of failing to complete a full competitive lap after the end of the sprint, Bortoleto says he is grateful for the passionate support he received from the Interlagos crowd as he became the first Brazilian to race at home since Felipe Nasr in 2016.
“Just thank you. Thank you. Because even through the tough moments this weekend, they’ve been there to support my name, to cheer, to scream and to be there. So I can’t thank them enough.”
“It’s just incredible to see my country so happy to have someone. And I hope I can make them proud soon, because during weekends like this, certainly no one is happy, not me. But thank you everyone, every Brazilian there and everyone in the world who watches and supports me this weekend.”
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