Close call for Gabriel Bortoleto, who nearly caused a major incident with his manager, and teammate, Fernando Alonso, in Saudi Arabia. A sudden move by the Brazilian on track put both himself and the Spaniard in danger, and… the dinner too!
Given the current performances of Stake and Aston Martin, the two often find themselves fighting their way up the field from mid-pack. However, until now, no significant incidents had occurred between the 2004-born driver and his manager.
The near-miss happened as they approached turn 1, on the 25th lap of the race. At that point, Gabriel Bortoleto had just been overtaken by Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls and was preparing for the first corner of the circuit.
However, the Brazilian moved to the right side of the track without realizing Alonso was there, dangerously squeezing the Spaniard against the wall. Quick reflexes from Alonso avoided a worse outcome, and the two were able to continue the race.
In the end, the Aston Martin driver finished in eleventh place, just outside the points, while the Kick Sauber driver struggled with his car, finishing in eighteenth.
The close call did not go unnoticed, especially due to the unique relationship between the two. In post-race interviews, Fernando Alonso jokingly said that, as a punishment, Gabriel Bortoleto wouldn’t be having dinner.
“I was surprised, and we almost collided, which is the last thing you want, but he didn’t see me,” said the two-time world champion. “I had to avoid the corner and quickly give the position back because I didn’t want a penalty, but nothing changed in the race, we were both struggling,” he said.
The Spaniard then joked about the punishment for the return flight. “We’ll be going home together, but maybe there won’t be dinner for him,” he said laughing. Gabriel Bortoleto shared the same lighthearted mood, saying he tried to scare his manager.
“Yes, I tried to scare him a little,” he joked. “I didn’t see him because I realized there was a car behind me, and as soon as it passed, I tried to open the corner, and Fernando was there.”
“I felt a big hit on the side of the car, I saw Fernando and said, ‘Oh, hi!’ but luckily no one was hurt.” In the end, fortunately, nothing serious between the two, who will continue battling on track without ruining their professional relationship.
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