Gabriel Bortoleto reveals what Fernando Alonso said to him after the race in Austria

Gabriel Bortoleto spoke about his intense duel at the end of the race with his manager in Formula 1, Fernando Alonso, during the last laps of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Read also: Gabriel Bortoleto voted driver of the day in Austria

A battle at the end of the race

The Sauber rookie quickly caught up with Fernando Alonso, who was then in 7th place, during the final stint of the race on Sunday in Spielberg, after fitting new tires on lap 49 of 70.

But despite all his efforts, the young Brazilian did not manage to surpass the double world champion and ultimately finished 8th, just half a second behind.

His last chance vanished when the race leader, Lando Norris, came to lap both of them in the final moments, shortening their race by one lap and thus sparing Alonso from a final attack.

Despite his defeat in the battle for 7th place, Bortoleto stated that he enjoyed his on-track duel with the Spaniard and praised the quality of his driving.

“He has a lot of experience,” said the 20-year-old driver. “He knew perfectly how to deal with the blue flags and all that. He almost managed to overtake Norris on the back straight. But he knew exactly what to do, without breaking the rules. It was just perfect.”

The student has not yet surpassed the master.

When asked if he learned a lot by driving behind Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto replied: « Of course, but that’s a study that needs to be done at home, in calm, watching the onboard footage of the driver, analyzing each trajectory, the way he looks in the mirrors, how he brakes to activate the DRS at the right moment. »

« At the time, you’re focused on trying to overtake. I felt like a kid trying to score his first points », he explains.

« And he [Alonso] was there, calm, defending. He knew exactly what he was doing. He had the race under control. He had tires in worse condition, and he still managed to keep me behind for two laps. Really, he did a great job.

First points in F1 for Bortoleto

After the checkered flag, Fernando Alonso embraced Gabriel Bortoleto in Parc Fermé to congratulate him for scoring his very first points in F1.

The Sauber driver has been part of Alonso’s management agency, A14 Management, since 2022.

He told me: I am very happy for you, for your first point. You did a very good job, Bortoleto said.

On his side, Alonso, who was on a one-stop strategy compared to two for Bortoleto, acknowledged having to employ unconventional tactics when Norris arrived to lap them, in order to keep Bortoleto behind him.

« At the end, Gabriel was much faster », admitted the Aston Martin driver. « I thought I wouldn’t be able to defend myself, but luckily, Lando came at the right time and the blue flags were waved. As Lando passed us, the next lap was the last of the race because we were lapped. So it was a perfect combination and a lucky race to finish 7th. »

« I didn’t want to pass Lando, but I couldn’t stay right behind him either, otherwise Gabriel would have passed me. So I had to try some things to unsettle him a bit, so that he wouldn’t know exactly what I was planning, or when. »