Gabriel Bortoleto finishes 8th at the Temple of Speed: “The maximum we could achieve” | F1 Italian GP. Gabriel Bortoleto claimed 8th place at Monza.

Gabriel Bortoleto claimed 8th place at Monza, earning valuable points for Sauber

Another strong performance from the Brazilian rookie, who bounced back from his setback in Zandvoort with a top-10 finish at Monza.

Valuable points

Gabriel Bortoleto’s positive run continues. After the difficulties faced at Zandvoort, the young Brazilian returned to the points at the Italian Grand Prix. Delivering a strong qualifying session at the Temple of Speed, the circuit where he was crowned Formula 3 champion two years ago, the Sauber rookie ended the race in 8th place. It was his fourth top-10 result of the season, a performance that underlines his steady progress in Formula 1.

A race not without mistakes

The 20-year-old was satisfied with his result and shared his thoughts afterwards: “We had a very solid race, with good decisions and a strong strategy. My pit stop was a little slow, partly my fault because I might have overshot slightly on entry, and that definitely didn’t help. Overall, I’m happy to have finished eighth and to be back in the points: this is also important for the Constructors’ Championship. Of course, I wanted more, but I think this was the maximum we could achieve this weekend. It was consistent and productive, and a good way to close the European leg of the season.”

Back to the pits before the start

The big disappointment came for Nico Hülkenberg, though not because of his performance. In a rare turn of events, Gabriel Bortoleto’s teammate was forced to return to the pits at the end of the formation lap with a hydraulic failure, retiring before the race even began. “Obviously, it’s extremely frustrating not to even make the start. We had hydraulic issues that forced us to retire on the formation lap, and we now need to analyze and fully understand them. That said, we clearly saw that the car is competitive, which is encouraging. Monza is always a difficult track for overtaking, so it’s hard to say where we could have finished. The positive side is that it was a strong weekend for Gabi (Bortoleto), who scored valuable points for the team.”