Audi has spoken out about Gabriel Bortoleto’s retirement before the start of the Formula 1 Chinese GP. This Sunday (15), the team stated that it could not identify the issue in time for the Brazilian to compete in the second round of 2026.
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The Shanghai weekend was quite complicated for the competitor. In the Sprint race, he was unable to fight for many positions and crossed the finish line only in 13th, outside the points zone.
For the main race, then, after a mistake in qualifying, he would line up only in 16th position on the grid. However, before the formation lap, his Audi presented problems, was taken to the pitlane and, subsequently, Audi confirmed Bortoleto’s non-participation in the Formula 1 Chinese GP.
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On social media, then, the team explained the decision not to put Gabriel on the track in Shanghai. “Gabriel Bortoleto’s car presented a technical problem on the way to the grid and was taken back to the garage before the start of the race,” it wrote.
“As it was not possible to identify and resolve the problem in time for the start of the race, the team decided to withdraw car No. 5 from the event. The team will investigate the problem in depth to understand it and prevent it from happening again,” it added.
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