Gabriel Bortoleto reflects on his early retirement from the British Grand Prix

Gabriel Bortoleto explained how his decision to fit slick tires at the start of the British Grand Prix led to his premature retirement, with the Brazilian admitting he made a mistake in changing conditions.

A costly mistake

While the majority of the drivers were preparing to start on intermediate tires – after several scattered showers at Silverstone in the hours leading up to the race – a few, including Gabriel Bortoleto, chose to pit at the end of the formation lap to switch to slicks.

The Sauber driver set off again on medium tires but lost control after only a few laps, ending up in the gravel before managing to get going again. A piece of his front wing remained close to the track, prompting the deployment of yellow flags, and Gabriel Bortoleto eventually parked his car, triggering a virtual safety car.

Asked to comment on the incident, the Brazilian explained: It’s not complicated, it’s very simple what happened. I made a mistake, I chose to switch to medium slicks.

I thought the track would dry quickly with all the wind we’ve had this week and the sun at that moment. I thought it was the right decision, I also didn’t expect it to rain afterwards. I said to myself: ‘Let’s go, maybe we can gain some positions’, he explains.

« Then, on the restart, it was very tricky, very little grip. I put the power down exiting turn 1, the car snapped, I tried to correct but couldn’t manage it. I hit the wall with the rear wing, it was slightly damaged, so I preferred to stop on the track to avoid leaving debris. And that was the end of the race for me. »

Bortoleto is delighted for his teammate.

Despite this difficult ending, Gabriel Bortoleto still had something to be happy about: Nico Hülkenberg offered Sauber his very first F1 podium by finishing in 3rd place, a result the young Brazilian enthusiastically celebrated.

“It’s a very special day for me, for the team,” smiled the 20-year-old driver. “I love working with Nico, for me, he’s one of the most talented drivers I’ve ever met.”

« He is clearly the best teammate I’ve ever had, at all levels: as a person, as a driver, everything. And he deserves it. He works hard, he invests tremendously. This year, he has put in exceptional races, and he deserves this podium. It’s just incredible. »

Thanks to this result, Sauber climbs to 6th place in the constructors’ championship with 41 points, five more than Racing Bulls and Aston Martin, which are respectively 7th and 8th.