As the final Sprint weekend of 2025 approaches at the F1 Qatar GP, Alpine driver Pierre Gasly shares his thoughts on Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto’s five-place grid penalty for the event. Bortoleto received the penalty in Las Vegas after colliding with Lance Stroll on Lap 1 — the rookie went down the inside of several cars, before crashing into the Aston Martin. He broke far, far too late.
Among the cars that sustained damage was Gasly’s Alpine as he was tagged by the incredibly unlucky Canadian. Although he qualified in the top 10, the incident cost him several positions as he dropped to the back, leaving him with a P13 finish after both McLarens were disqualified.
A big misjudgement on Bortoleto’s part says Gasly ahead of the F1 Qatar GP
Gasly shared that the Brazilian completely misjudged the braking zone; he was out on hard tyres for his starting stint — a rather ambitious strategy. The Alpine driver shared that while the rookie has performed really well this season, his miscalculation of the braking zone has cost several drivers.
“For me, it was a big misjudgment. And at this level, Gabi [Gabriel Bortoleto] has done a very good season, but at this level it should not happen.”
While drivers happen to make similar errors, Gasly claimed that in Bortoleto’s case, it was a significant overestimation rather than being off by a very small margin.
“He didn’t misjudge it by a couple of metres… If you look at the speed he came at on the inside, if Stroll is not there or there is no car, he’s ending up miles away [in the run-off].”
Should the stewards excuse incidents during Lap 1?
Lap 1 incidents have a long-standing reputation for being controversial; many believe that stewards should be more lenient when making any kind of big decision or handing out penatlies heading into Turn 1 on the opening lap.
Gasly argues that they should evaluate drivers based on the nature of their decisions rather than the outcomes.
“The action of the driver itself should be considered more than the outcome. Consequences are always very different.”
Although it was a loaded question for a quick media session, Gasly shared that it’s a topic he needs to think deeply about. However, he stands by the decision handed to the Sauber driver.
“As much as I like Gabi, and I think he’s done a great job this year, this was a big one.”
Despite the incident, Gasly remained respectful toward Bortoleto’s blunder, claiming that it wasn’t an intentional move — instead, he chose to justify what could have caused such a misjudgement.
“I know it wasn’t intentional… maybe he lost spacial awareness. He’s completely on the inside, you don’t really have marker boards. So I guess this is what happens.”
The stewards’ decision, a five-place grid drop, means Bortoleto will start further back for Sunday’s F1 Qatar GP, making qualifying all the more important for the rookie.
While Gasly admires Bortoleto’s strong rookie performance this season, he made it clear he views the penalty as justified.
“I don’t think it’s too harsh.”
