Last weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix turned into a first-lap fiasco for local hero Gabriel Bortoleto, and Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto didn’t hold back, pointing the finger squarely at Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll for the Sauber charger’s demise.
The incident, which saw Bortoleto’s race end in the wall at Turn 10, sparked a fiery outburst from Colapinto, who accused Stroll of reckless driving and a chronic disregard for his mirrors.
The drama unfolded as Bortoleto launched an ambitious recovery from the back of the grid. Shadowing Stroll through the infield, he eyed a bold move at Bico de Pato. But as the Brazilian nosed alongside his rival, Stroll veered left, clipping the Sauber and sending it into the barriers.
Colapinto, watching the wreckage unfold from behind, didn’t hold back after the race when asked about the clash.
“Stroll is just always taking people out, just not looking in the mirrors, leaving no track, and he put Gabi in the wall,” he said. “It’s what he does every time.”
The Alpine driver’s sharp words raised a few eyebrows in the paddock – not least because of his own chequered track record of leaving broken carbon fibre in his wake. From misjudged lunges to self-inflicted spins, he has endured more than a few race-ending mistakes.
Against that backdrop, his sweeping criticism of Stroll may strike some as overzealous – especially given Bortoleto’s far more measured assessment of the incident.
Bortoleto: ‘It’s a racing incident’
The 19-year-old,, who had been relishing his first home Grand Prix as a full-time F1 driver, was quick to cool the tension. Despite his disappointment, Bortoleto stopped short of blaming Stroll.
“I overtook two cars, it was Lewis [Hamilton] and Colapinto in the outside of six,” Bortoleto recalled. “It was a nice move. And then Lance, I was just side by side with him out of nine. There’s no pointing fingers here. I think, you know, just lap one and I was in the outside.
“He opened a little bit more than what there was of space there. He clipped my front tyre and I ended up in the wall.
“I think it’s a racing incident. Obviously, if he had given a bit more space, I would have done the corner, and probably overtaken him because he had worse tyres than I had because I was on softs.
“But again, it’s a racing incident. He didn’t do it on purpose, I’m sure. Every time I fight with him, he’s fair with me. So it’s just racing.”
While Bortoleto’s restraint reflected maturity beyond his years, Colapinto’s fiery rhetoric has stirred debate: is he a bold truth-teller or a rookie throwing stones from a glass house?
For now, Stroll remains silent, Bortoleto philosophical, and Colapinto unmistakably outspoken.
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