Gabriel Bortoleto’s F1 Miami GP ended in disappointment as an engine issue forced the Sauber rookie to retire on lap 30. Before that he had a composed and competitive drive that looked set for P13.
The Brazilian started on medium tyres before switching to hards, managing his race smartly in a tight midfield pack.
“It was going solid,” Bortoleto said. “We knew our pace wasn’t quite there with the RBs or Ocon, but I was holding my own, even with the issue already starting.”
That issue, which gradually worsened over the Grand Prix in Miami, eventually brought his race to a halt.
“The engine started cutting out and I was losing a lot of speed on the straights,” he explained. “From what the team told me, it might’ve been a fuel system problem, but we’re still analysing it. On the last lap, the car just completely died.”
Until that point, Bortoleto had been running close to Isack Hadjar and felt the early pace showed promise.
“My medium stint wasn’t bad, I was only a few seconds behind Hadjar when I pitted,” he said. “We still struggle a bit on race pace, but I was happy with this.”
Though he didn’t see the checkered flag in Miami, Gabriel Bortoleto wasn’t overly frustrated, acknowledging that points were likely out of reach regardless.
“If I’m honest, I don’t think we had the pace to score today,” he admitted. “So whether we finished or not, it doesn’t change much in terms of result, but it’s still good experience.”
Looking ahead, the rookie is feeling more confident as the calendar moves to tracks he’s more familiar with.
“It’ll definitely help – I won’t lose time learning a new circuit,” he said. “Of course, driving them in an F1 car is still very different to what I am used to, but I’ll probably enjoy the next few rounds more.”
Despite the DNF, Bortoleto remains upbeat about his performance. “There are lots of positives – the qualifying pace, the medium stint, even the start of the hard stint was good before the issue,” he said. “It’s a step forward.”
With more experience under his belt and familiar tracks ahead, Bortoleto’s focus now shifts to turning solid foundations into results.
