Gabriel Bortoleto revealed he sustained an injury to his left leg in the wake of his enormous crash at the last F1 race in Brazil.
Rookie driver Bortoleto, competing at his home race for the first time in Sao Paulo, attempted an overtake on Alex Albon in the sprint race but spun and smashed into the inside wall, before careening into the outside wall at turn one.
Bortoleto’s Sauber car was destroyed and could not be repaired in time for qualifying later in the day. Later, the impact was recorded at a massive 57G.
The 21-year-old then crashed out of the grand prix on lap one after a collision with Lance Stroll and Bortoleto, following a home debut to forget, revealed that he had pain in his leg in the few days after Interlagos.
“I was very lucky,” Bortoleto said. “I had a bit of pain in my left leg but it went away one or two days after the crash, so that was great.
“When I hit the brakes, the DRS was still in the closing procedure. It was not fully closed, I had big rear locking because of that.
“I hit a bump when I hit the brakes, so I spun to the inside wall. Lots of learnings and what to do if I need to divebomb down the inside at Turn One in Sao Paulo next year.”
Albon, who only just avoided the spinning car, said in the immediate aftermath: “I just hope he’s OK. These walls around Sao Paulo, especially around turn one… I had one in qualifying last year, it hurts.
“I feel for him and hope he’s OK.”
Bortoleto has impressed at times this season, recording 19 points in his first campaign. He has a contract with Sauber, who will become Audi next year, until the end of the 2026 season.
