Bortoleto ‘not proud’ of lap 1 blunder in Chinese GP

Last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix proved to be a difficult outing for Sauber, with both Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg suffering early race incidents that ultimately left them outside the points.

Bortoleto, making just his second Formula 1 appearance, suffered a spin on the opening lap, while Hulkenberg lost significant ground due to an off-track excursion at Shanghai Turn 3 that damaged his car.

In the end, the duo finished 14th and 15th, respectively, after post-race disqualifications promoted them up the order.

Starting from the back row, Bortoleto’s troubles began as he attempted to overtake Haas’ Ollie Bearman. The move went awry, however, sending him into the gravel and necessitating an early pit stop.

“A shame [what happened] from Lap 1 – obviously, not proud of what happened there,” commented the Argentine as he detailed his misstep.

“I went to overtake Ollie and then got too much rubber on the outside of the track. I was in the dirty line and I lost the rear, couldn’t keep it and, you know, Lap 1 [there was] a lot of the turbulence as well, [I] did a mistake and spun.”

Damage Limitation Mode

The 20-year-old’s error forced him into damage limitation mode, but he found silver linings in completing the race.

“To be honest, we know a bit where we are and I was happy to not get trapped in the gravel and be able to run the whole race, and experience a bit of a dry race in Formula 1?

“It was my actually first full dry race here, so understanding our pace and how we were comparing to the others, that was not bad. It was good for learning managing the tyres and everything else,” he said.

When asked if Sauber’s lackluster showing against midfield rivals like Haas and Racing Bulls left him disappointed, Bortoleto remained pragmatic.

“Yeah, I think it was difficult to beat them anyway – even if I stayed on track, maybe [I could have gained] one position in front of Doohan, maybe,” he admitted.

“But to be honest, it’s difficult to say. Obviously I wanted to be a bit in the fight, to have a bit of fun, but it is what it is.”

Bortoleto’s measured response highlighted the steep learning curve he faces, tempered by a realistic view of Sauber’s current competitiveness.

Hulkenberg’s Woes Compound Sauber’s Day

Hulkenberg, starting from a more promising 12th on the grid, also saw his race unravel early. A dramatic moment at Turn 3 saw him lose control, veering wide through the gravel and plummeting to 19th while damaging his car’s floor.

“Out of Turn 3, I just completely lost the rear of the car, almost tanked it but I went wide at the exit of Turn 3, through the gravel and lost all the positions basically, but also more frustratingly damaged the floor,” the German recounted.

“I lost load after that, which obviously made things very tricky today, so unfortunately that was the beginning of the end very early today.”

Hulkenberg crossed the line in 15th, and acknowledged that his compromised car limited insights from the race. Yet, he found value in the mileage gained with Sauber’s C45 contender.

“I think still with the damage, the team was giving me updates every now and then, and I think pace-wise here and there it wasn’t too bad actually considering the damage we carried,” he conceded.

“I need to look at it, but still good to get the mileage in. Still early days with the new car, so still happy to have finished.”

While Bortoleto salvaged some positives from his first full dry F1 race and Hulkenberg banked valuable laps in his new machinery, the results underscored the work ahead for Sauber to climb the order.

As the young rookie put it, the desire to “have a bit of fun” in the fight remains elusive—for now.

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