Gabriel Bortoleto left the Singapore Grand Prix frustrated after abandoning the race due to an unexpected gearbox failure. After also failing to finish the Sprint race, the Brazilian classified the event as his worst weekend of the season.
The Audi driver had to stop the car as it came out of the pit lane while attempting to close in on Alex Albon of Williams to try and overtake. The issue arose the moment he shifted into a higher gear, preventing the race from continuing.
“I was behind Alex and trying to overtake him, but the problem I had ended my race early,” explained Bortoleto. Regarding the moment of the failure, he added: “It simply happened at the exit of the corner. I shifted to a higher gear and things did not work as they should.”
The Brazilian had started from 14th on the grid, but lost three places on the first lap. While he recognized that rivals have been showing superior performance at starts, he stated that the situation didn’t feel so bad inside the car. The sequence of problems, however, prevented any possibility of a comeback on Sunday.
Questioned whether Singapore represented the most frustrating weekend of the year, Bortoleto was categorical: “Undoubtedly yes.” He recalled that, even when he faced difficulties in other events, the results had been positive, something that did not happen this time.
“Not finishing the Sprint race because I was hit by another driver, and now, having this problem… is not good,” he lamented. Despite the disappointment, the Brazilian highlighted that setbacks of this kind can occur over a season and he hopes the episode is behind him before the final races of the year.
Bortoleto also avoided making predictions about which circuits might favor the car in the upcoming rounds. According to him, his previous assessments have not always proven correct: “I just hope it gets better from here on,” he concluded, showing his expectation for a comeback through the rest of the season.
