Gabriel Bortoleto lamented not being able to compete in the Formula 1 China GP this Sunday (15). Retiring even before the start of the race, the Brazilian believes that points were possible in the race.
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Even before the lights went out in Shanghai, Audi detected a problem with the driver’s car. While lined up on the grid, he was pushed back to the pitlane and shortly after, the German team confirmed that he was not in a condition to compete in the second round of the calendar.
In an interview with SporTV, Gabriel said that in a chaotic race like it was – three retired during the race and besides the Brazilian, three more did not start – finishing within the points zone was not something absurd to think about.
“As far as I can say, we had a technical problem going to the grid that made it impossible to start with the car the way it was. Very upset because a crazy race like today’s… Well, it’s certainly hard to predict anything in life, but it was very clear that points could have happened,” he said.
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“The people who spun on the first lap, we know that Williams has been struggling a lot with pace and scored points, so I have no doubt that we would have been there. But well, many factors occurred that meant we couldn’t even start, it’s a shame, it’s sad to be left out,” he continued.
“I watched the race with the radio listening to my teammate, trying to learn something from the other side as well, when you’re not driving, it’s the first time I’ve been on the outside like this to watch. A very interesting race to watch, I saw it, but of course, I wanted to be competing,” he added.
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