Gabriel Bortoleto has experienced his best Formula 1 weekend in Austria-and wrote a special story.
The Brazilian rookie fought a gripping duel with its own manager, Fernando Alonso. In the end, the veteran was ahead and benefited from his many years of experience.
But the scene revealed more than just a duel: it showed how good the performance of the clean team is now how quickly Bortoleto learned – and how much respect on both sides is.
“It was a bit strange because of course he is my manager – and Fernando,” Bortoleto admits before the race in Silverstone. “A guy that I have already seen races since I started racing myself.”
And yet: none of this counted on the track. “If the visor is below, you don’t think much about who is before you. Sure, it’s a little different, I want to be honest. I gave everything.”
Bortoleto fought with fresher tires against the strategically better positioned Alonso, who was traveling with a single-sof strategy. The Brazilian tried to walk past or outside several times, but the teeth bit about Alonso’s cleverness.
Bortoleto admits errors
But he admits that he made a mistake in a duel with Alonso: “I started attacking in curve 3, which gave him the DRS advantage on the straight. Maybe I should have been waiting a bit,” said the Brazilian.
“Maybe I could have done a few things better to overtake him, but he did a great job when defending,” says Bortoleto. “He placed the car well – even with the blue flags. So yes, it was something special.”
Alonso knew that he had hardly had a chance without the overalls. “I was lucky with the blue flags,” says the two -time world champion. “Without them I couldn’t have kept him two or three curves behind me – that was my limit.”
“Due to the blue flags, I won again half a round. And because it was the last round, we saw the target flag – so it went well for me,” said the Spaniard.
The 43 -year -old expressly praises his protégé: “The fight was good – a few curves side side, always with respect. We have already driven a few times – in the kart or in the simulator when we train together. It was like a deja vu – and this time I was at the finish.
Six was in there
Overall, it was a strong weekend for Bortoleto. According to the points in Barcelona and Montreal, he confirmed eighth and teammate Nico Hülkenberg with ninth place that Sauber can now take part in the midfield with the latest upgrades.
“I think we are now in a better position to regularly fight points,” says Bortoleto, but also warns: “I would not say that this is safe every weekend. The midfield is extremely tight – it’s about little things.”
The view of the World Cup table also arouses desires. With 26 points, Sauber is still only in the penultimate place, but sixth place is only ten points away. And with a more determined maneuver against Alonso, the situation might be even rosier.
“If I had overtaken Fernando on the first attempt, I might have Liam too [Lawson] still obtained. But it is always this ‘would have if’. In the end we finished eighth – that was the position I reached. “
Briefly calculated: The two positions had brought Bortoleto four points. If you then pull two at Alonso and Lawson, then Sauber Aston Martin would have overtaken in the World Cup and would be on four points on the sixth -placed Racing Bulls.
Phase with Hülkenberg No problem
Perhaps Sauber would have had a better chance in the end if Nico Hülkenberg would have left Bortoleto through. After the pit stops, the German was in front of his teammate and only let him pull when he had overtaken other competitors – this time might be missing for a better result?
“No, I don’t think it was decisive,” Bortoleto waves. “Nico came from the back, I honestly did not understand what was going on because I came out of the box behind him. I thought he hadn’t stopped yet – so I pushed to overtake him. Later I got it that he had already stopped and all under -teted.”
“He drove his race and quickly overtaken many cars. And as soon as we had free travel, he also let me go by right away. So he did what he had to do,” he emphasizes.
“Of course it is never nice to put behind a car if you know you have the tire advantage. But that is racing – if it didn’t have been it, it might have been another car that would have made life difficult for me.”
Good performance for Alonso no surprise
With eighth place, the rookie first gave the load of the first points. So far, Bortoleto has had a good season for his manager Alonso, but this does not surprise him. “I said in Abu Dhabi last year that he was the best of his generation,” said the Spaniard.
“He gained Formula 3 as a rookie, then Formula 2 as a rookie – without tests with older cars, without TPC programs, nothing. And now he comes to Formula 1 and still delivers.”
But it would not be Alonso if he did not put a little swipe in the end: “What he has been doing so far is impressive. But: He is still behind me!”
Bortoleto can also live with that – still. “I am very happy about the points – but that’s just the beginning of the trip. The goal is a much bigger.”