A tough lesson for Gabriel Bortoleto in São Paulo: "One of the most difficult weekends of my career"

Tears flowed at Interlagos, but there was no joy for Gabriel Bortoleto. The Sauber rookie, the first Brazilian to race in Formula 1 In front of his home crowd since Felipe Massa in 2017, he experienced a nightmarish weekend. The victim of not one but two accidents, he saw all his hopes of success vanish on his native soil.

In Saturday's sprint race, was driver #5 too audacious to impress his fans? Attempting to overtake while his rear wing was still open, Gabriel Bortoleto suffered a sudden spin. A rookie mistake already made by Jack Doohan earlier in the season.

After his off-track excursion in the Sprint, a heavy silence fell over the circuit, momentarily shattering the Brazilian jubilation, before his radio message reassured everyone. Despite his team's best efforts, Gabriel Bortoleto was unable to participate in qualifying later on Saturday. The following day, however, the same fans were back to cheer him on.

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In the first lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix, from which he started 18th^e after the departure from the pitsEsteban Ocon et Max VerstappenGabriel Bortoleto veered off course and crashed into the barriers. A premature end to a highly anticipated race for the Osasco (Brazil) native.  “After getting off to a good start, I think I had gained two places, without even completing a lap of the race… I touched Lance [StrollI don't want to blame anyone, he underlines"It's a race and anything can happen in the first lap. I was on the outside, they didn't give me any room, but it's difficult for him to judge whether I'm there or not."

The tone is clear-sighted, but the disappointment is immense. It was a tough weekend. I'm really upset because it was my first home race, where you're always expected to do a good job or at least be competitive. It was one of the toughest weekends of my career. My fans were there, my whole family, my whole team, and I had the biggest crash of my career.

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Under pressure, are the rookies still fragile?

With a flushed face, embraced by his family after his double defeat, Bortoleto made no secret of his disappointment. In the stands, however, the support remained strong: thousands of fans chanted his name in consolation. Despite everything, the young driver did not forget the fervor of his fans. Thank you to the fans, because despite all the difficulties this weekend, they were there, they supported me, they sang, they shouted my name… I can't thank them enough.he was moved. It's truly incredible to see my country so happy to have someone in the peloton. I hope I can make them proud soon, because no one can be happy after a weekend like this. Thank you to all the Brazilians in the stands, and to everyone who has followed me around the world. »

Gabriel Bortoleto is not the first – and probably won't be the last – to crack under the pressure of a home Grand Prix. Before him, other young talents, like Kimi Antonelli, also felt the crushing weight of national expectations. At his first home Grand Prix in Imola, Antonelli had to retire due to a throttle problem after a difficult weekend in terms of performance. A few months later in Monza, the protégé of Mercedes made a mistake in Free Practice 1. He then admitted that the demands of the press, sponsors and fans had mentally exhausted him.

While Bortoleto has yet to speak publicly about it – still overwhelmed by emotion and undoubtedly not ready to relive such a moment – ​​the Brazilian has almost certainly experienced something similar. This setback shattered his dream of glory on home soil this year, but not his strength of character. "I just want to move forward and focus on the next race." " concludes Gabriel Bortoleto.

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