Gabriel Botoleto started the Formula 1 Hungarian GP this Friday (24) in sixth place. In the first free practice session of the stage, the Audi driver showed good pace during the activity and placed himself within the top-10 at the start of the stage.
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The Brazilian returns this weekend to the circuit where he achieved his best career result in F1. In 2025, he crossed the finish line in fifth place.
For the session, despite partial sun, the weather is mostly overcast. The thermometer reads 22ºC, while the asphalt reaches 45ºC, with humidity around 30% and a light wind at 3.6 km/h.
Practice started and the clock is ticking at Hungaroring. Gabriel was one of the last drivers to leave the pit lane and when he went to do his first installation laps, he opted for the medium tire.
With almost ten minutes completed in Hungary, the driver of car #5, like Nico Hülkenberg, were the only two names who had not yet set a time. In fact, the German was stopped in the pits at this moment.
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When he went back out on track, the competitor stated that there was something strange with the car and that when he turned left, he had a different feeling. At that, he returned to the pits for the team to investigate the situation – at this moment, he was in 14th place, more than 3s behind the leader.
On the next lap completed, Bortoleto managed to significantly improve his time, placing himself in ninth position with 1min22s180, 1s8 behind the leader – Nico was right behind in tenth.
Still on medium tires, Bortoleto completed another fast lap and now placed himself in fifth position with 1min21s425. The Brazilian was just over 1s1 behind the current leader, Leclerc.
With 23 minutes remaining, a red flag due to problems for Lance Stroll. At this moment, the Audi driver was in sixth position, 1s2 behind Leclerc, on soft tires.
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