Latest news with #Bortoleto
TimesLIVE
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Bortoleto clarifies comment about putting Antonelli in the wall
Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto said a team radio clip of him apparently threatening to put Mercedes rival Kimi Antonelli 'in the wall' at last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix was edited and gave a false impression. The Brazilian was speaking to his race engineer after a first lap battle between the rookies ended with Bortoleto hitting the tyre wall at Portier, before the tunnel, as Antonelli went through on the inside. The stewards decided to take no further action over the incident. 'People take parts of something and they clip it and it's not like this,' Bortoleto said at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday. 'I spoke to Kimi after the race. We have, I believe, respect [for] each other since we were 10, 11 years old when we were racing in go-karts together. 'People clipped it [the radio chat] but I asked my engineer 'What happened, did he get a penalty for that?' and then he said 'No, no penalty for what happened there'. 'So I was like 'OK, so basically if I do the same, I put him in the wall and then it doesn't get [me] a penalty for that?'. But [they] took it in a way that it looks like I'm going to smash the guy in the wall. But we are not here to hurt anyone.' Bortoleto is yet to score a point in eight races with Sauber while Italian Antonelli, 18, has made an impressive debut with Mercedes since taking the seat vacated by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Star
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Motor racing-Bortoleto clarifies comment about putting Antonelli in the wall
Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - May 25, 2025 Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto before the race REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw BARCELONA (Reuters) -Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto said a team radio clip of him apparently threatening to put Mercedes rival Kimi Antonelli "in the wall" at last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix was edited and gave a false impression. The Brazilian was speaking to his race engineer after a first lap battle between the rookies ended with Bortoleto hitting the tyre wall at Portier, before the tunnel, as Antonelli went through on the inside. The stewards decided to take no further action over the incident. "Obviously, people take parts of something and they clip it and it's not like this," Bortoleto said at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday. "I spoke to Kimi after the race. We have, I believe, respect (for) each other since we were 10, 11 years old when we were racing in go-karts together. "People clipped it (the radio chat) but actually I asked my engineer "What happened, did he get a penalty for that?' and then he said 'No, no penalty for what happened there'. "So I was like 'OK, so basically if I do the same I put him in the wall and then it doesn't get (me) a penalty for that?'. But (they) took it in a way that it looks like I'm going to smash the guy in the wall. But we are not here to hurt anyone." Bortoleto has yet to score a point in eight races with Sauber while Italian Antonelli, 18, has made an impressive debut with Mercedes since taking the seat vacated by seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed |Osmond)
Straits Times
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Bortoleto clarifies comment about putting Antonelli in the wall
BARCELONA - Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto said a team radio clip of him apparently threatening to put Mercedes rival Kimi Antonelli "in the wall" at last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix was edited and gave a false impression. The Brazilian was speaking to his race engineer after a first lap battle between the rookies ended with Bortoleto hitting the tyre wall at Portier, before the tunnel, as Antonelli went through on the inside. The stewards decided to take no further action over the incident. "Obviously, people take parts of something and they clip it and it's not like this," Bortoleto said at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday. "I spoke to Kimi after the race. We have, I believe, respect (for) each other since we were 10, 11 years old when we were racing in go-karts together. "People clipped it (the radio chat) but actually I asked my engineer "What happened, did he get a penalty for that?' and then he said 'No, no penalty for what happened there'. "So I was like 'OK, so basically if I do the same I put him in the wall and then it doesn't get (me) a penalty for that?'. But (they) took it in a way that it looks like I'm going to smash the guy in the wall. But we are not here to hurt anyone." Bortoleto has yet to score a point in eight races with Sauber while Italian Antonelli, 18, has made an impressive debut with Mercedes since taking the seat vacated by seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
'Put him in the wall' – Antonelli on receiving end of brutal comment from rival
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli was threatened by Sauber F1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto in an X-rated and unseen radio message during Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix An un-televised radio message has uncovered the shocking moment Gabriel Bortoleto commented about putting Kimi Antonelli"in the wall" after their Monaco Grand Prix flashpoint. The Formula One rookies were involved in a first-lap incident at Monte Carlo which resulted in Sauber's Bortoleto crashing into the barrier at Portier. Mercedes ' Antonelli was on a mission to make amends for a qualifying mistake that left him starting 15th on the grid. He lost a position to Bortoleto in the first lap thanks to a slick manoeuvre by the Brazilian at the hairpin. Antonelli, just moments later, sought to take the position back with an ambitious move down Bortoleto's inside at the tricky right hander. Although they avoided contact, Bortoleto was squeezed out and went straight into the wall. Bortoleto had to pit for a new wing while Antonelli managed to escape a penalty from the stewards. The incident left Bortoleto fuming over his former F2 rival's aggressive driving, even stating that he'd give Antonelli a taste of his own medicine next time he came across the Italian on the track. A radio message emerged in the aftermath of the race where Sauber's race engineer could be heard telling Bortoleto to reverse after his collision. The Brazilian vented: 'Kimi pushed me off! Is the car OK?' as his engineer responded: 'Our front wing is damaged, front wing is damaged. We are boxing to change the front wing. And we saw what happened.' Bortoleto continued: 'F*** it. Antonelli, man! Desperated [sic] kid!' Later, after he had recovered, Bortoleto closed in on Antonelli and asked: 'I think we are catching Antonelli here. Did he get a penalty for what he did?' The Sauber engineer replied: 'So, Gabi, we are all on the same train and he did not get a penalty. He did not get a penalty,' before Bortoleto threatened: 'OK. I will put him in the wall next time.' Despite having to make three pit stops, Bortoleto managed a 14th place finish. Meanwhile, Antonelli recorded his worst F1 result, finishing in 18th place. Bortoleto didn't hold back when airing his feelings about Antonelli after the race, saying: 'It's a shame what happened there on the first lap, I think I managed to make a very solid move in Turn 6 in the hairpin, so it was very nice around the outside and I gained a position. "Obviously, he doesn't want to see any car ahead of him, losing a position in Monaco is quite embarrassing, it's bad because normally, historically you don't lose position but you don't gain as well. 'And I think he tried a very optimistic move there. We have seen a lot of crashes there in the past, it's not the first time. He didn't touch me, but he just went straight and to avoid crashing into him, I crashed into the wall and destroyed my front wing, needed to reverse, go back to the pits and unfortunately that's how my race ended up.' Antonelli, however, defended his decision to pass Bortoleto at a section of the track where overtaking is notably difficult, claiming he was ahead of the Sauber at the apex of the corner. He said: 'It was an aggressive move but at the end of the day, I didn't touch him. And also at the apex, I was ahead. 'Of course, you don't want to see him in the wall and my intention was not to put him in the wall. But at the end of the day, I didn't touch him and I tried my best to give him as much space as possible. But, of course, you know, Monaco is very tight and it can happen.' Bortoleto won F2 while driving for Invicta Racing last year but the 20-year-old is currently joint bottom of the F1 drivers' standings, having failed to earn a single point since joining the Audi-owned Sauber team. Antonelli, meanwhile, has racked up 48 points after stepping into Lewis Hamilton's shoes at the Silver Arrows.
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Brazilian Bortoleto feels the weight of history in Monaco
MONACO - Gabriel Bortoleto can feel the weight of history as the Brazilian rookie prepares to race around the same metal-fenced Monaco streets once dominated by his Formula One idol Ayrton Senna. Triple world champion Senna, whose death at Imola in 1994 shocked the sport, won a record six times in the Mediterranean principality including five in a row with McLaren between 1989 and 1993. Bortoleto, also from Sao Paulo and last year's Formula Two champion who also won the Formula Three title the season before, will be the first Brazilian since Felipe Massa in 2017 to start the showcase race. The 20-year-old Sauber driver, whose team will become the Audi factory outfit next year, said his father had told him stories about Senna for as long as he could remember. "He was, he is, my idol," he told Reuters in an interview. "I believe he was the greatest. I think not only as a driver, but as a person, the Brazilian driver that did the most for the country, did the most for everyone." The legacy, he added, remained very much alive as well as the country's thirst to produce another winner and eventual champion. "Definitely I feel it, you know, and it's obvious because everyone that represents a country, and you are the only one doing that in this series, you end up feeling that from the fans and everyone," he said. "It doesn't matter what position we are in right now, because I'm sure we are going to get better in the future as a team and everything, but having someone on the grid is super important to keep our country alive in this sport." NO POINTS Bortoleto has yet to score a point in seven races with Sauber, currently last of the 10 teams, but he made light of his situation. He has the example of manager and mentor Fernando Alonso, a double world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006 who went through his 2001 debut season with tail-enders Minardi without scoring. Alonso, still racing at 43 with Aston Martin, has also yet to open his account in 2025. "It's not nice to not have points, but I really don't care because my target in Formula One is not to score one point and 'now I have a point in the season'," said Bortoleto. "My target here is to develop and grow as a driver like I see I'm doing and one day be fighting for a championship and win. "I'm not here to be a guy that scores a couple of points. Who remembers about these people that score a little bit of points and they finish P13 in the championship?" Bortoleto has a contract for 2026 and said this year would be a learning one. That includes having to move aside as a backmarker for faster cars -- such as his friend, simulator racing rival and four times world champion Max Verstappen -- when blue flags are waved. "I'm not used to that, you know, I've never got a blue flag in my life before Formula One," said Bortoleto. "I'm sure that one day, hopefully I will be blue flagging people... you know patience is everything and hopefully my career in Formula One is not a short one. "I'm here to stay for very long, and at some point I'm sure I'm going to have a good car to deliver strong results and to celebrate good things with this great team I have behind me." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
