Gabriel Bortoleto still wants to understand what happened at the end of Q2 in the Australian Formula 1 GP qualifying. This Saturday (7), the Brazilian managed to advance to Q3, but with an Audi problem, he was unable to take to the track in the final phase in Melbourne.
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The competitor managed to start the year on the right foot defending the ‘new’ team – in quotes, after all, Audi took over Sauber’s operation at the end of the 2025 season. And already in the first qualifying session, he showed strength, managing to move to Q3 after setting a 1min20s221.
However, when returning to the pits, his car stopped at the pitlane entrance and because he needed help from the track marshals to get to his garage, he could not return to the track and, thus, starts from tenth position.
Making an assessment after the Formula 1 qualifying in Australia, Gabriel lamented the problem, saying he still didn’t know the origin, and stated that he believed a fourth row was possible.
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“Well, we still have to understand, I just left there, a shame because I think really getting into Q3 is something really very positive and I really wanted to be able to try… I think up to eighth was possible, after the rest we know they are the teams that are, at the moment, a little bit unreachable. But I think up to eighth it was possible to fight with Racing Bulls,” he said in an interview with SporTV.
“The car just failed, the gears wouldn’t engage anymore, it stopped and then I had to come… I don’t know, I did about four, five corners with the clutch trying to get to the box. I couldn’t get there in time, it was just a little bit short, a few meters,” he continued.
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