Gabriel Bortoleto will start in 16th position in the Chinese GP, the second round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, on Sunday (15). The Brazilian Audi driver showed good pace in the first phase of qualifying this Saturday, but ended up losing the car at the last corner of the Shanghai International Circuit during Q2 and saw his chances end earlier than expected. Check out how qualifying went for the driver:
Read more F1: Check out the full qualifying result of the 2026 Chinese GP
Q1 began with the highest temperature of the weekend, with 32°C on the track and 17° in the air. Gabriel went out for a warm-up as soon as he was released, initially on soft tires. His first flying lap was 1min34s349. He placed third, just behind his teammate, Nico HüLkenberg. At this point, there were still 11 minutes left on the clock.
His second attempt was close to the previous time, but not enough to gain positions: he recorded only 1min34s484, falling to sixth place with just over six minutes left in the session. Then, the Brazilian returned to the Audi pit.
Bortoleto returned to the track for the final lap of Q1 and improved to 1min33s549, finishing seventh and securing a spot in Q2.
Read more F1: Antonelli explains secret of historic pole at the Chinese GP
In Q2, the Brazilian’s first lap was 1min33s965, a time that did not help him get out of the elimination zone. The driver returned to the pits shortly after.
He returned with three minutes left in the second phase, starting another attempt with an improvement in the first sector. Then, he also managed to improve his mark in the second part of the track, but ended up going off track at the last corner and causing a brief yellow flag.
The incident put an end to his chances of moving on to Q3 and, as a result, Bortoleto will start in 16th place in the Chinese GP, which is scheduled to start at 4:00 AM this Sunday. In the sprint race, held before qualifying, the Brazilian finished 13th.
Read more F1: “It’s completely my fault,” says Bortoleto after qualifying error in China
