SÃO PAULO — Gabriel Bortoleto missed qualifying for his home race in Brazil after a massive crash in Saturday’s sprint race.
The rookie, who grew up in the city, crashed out at Turn 1 while trying to pass Alex Albon on the final lap of the shortened Saturday even.
The Sauber driver lost control of the car at 339 kilometeres per hour, smashed into the wall, with his car briefly airbourne as it careened into the outside wall.
Car sensors recorded a G-force impact of 34G on the first hit the wall and 57G on the second.
Bortoleto was unhurt and walked away from the crash, but his car was destroyed. With just over three hours between the end of the sprint and qualifying, it left Sauber with a huge repair job.
F1’s world broadcast feed did show the Brazilian driver in his race overalls and next to the car in the garage, but the sprint crash had obviously left the team with too big of a task to complete in time for qualifying
F1’s rules will allow him to start Sunday’s race as he qualified for the sprint and also was well within the 107% of the fastest time during the week’s only practice session.
The crash was a peculiar one, as Bortoleto had spun on his own as he moved off the racing line to take the inside line on Albon.
Wheatley said he did not know what caused the crash.
“A little bit soon [to guess]. Obviously we saw it happen and then waited for a replay, but your first thought is to make sure the driver’s OK. That’s what I focused on after the session. I’m sure we’ll have a look at it — it looked like one of the biggest crashes I’ve seen for a while frankly, and I’m just pleased that he was OK,” he said.
The Brazilian driver went for a precautionary check-up at the circuit medical centre.
Sauber chief Jonathan Wheatley said the fact Bortoleto was able to walk away from such an impact highlighted the ongoing push for safety, orchestrated by the governing FIA.
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“The safety standards in Formula 1 are so impressive,” Wheatley added.
“I’ve spoken to the manager of the medical center and for the moment it sounds like he’s absolutely fine, no injuries at all. I think I should say, the incredible work the FIA have done in terms of safety, working with the teams, and you’ve just seen it today.
“A crash of that magnitude, for the driver to be fine and get out, go to the medical center and I’m sure he’ll be ready for qualifying — just not sure about his car.”
