Brazilian driver finishes both races in Spain in fourth place

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain hosted the activities of the FIA F3 World Championship last weekend, alongside the Formula 1 World Championship. In the preliminary category to the main category of world motorsport, Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto once again showcased his skill and consistency by widening his lead in the Championship from 17 to 24 points.

Bortoleto arrived in Spain happy with the weekend he had in Monaco, as he managed to accumulate a good amount of points for the Championship, despite not having the fastest car for that circuit.
Facing a grid that brings together the world’s top emerging talents, Gabriel and the Trident team demonstrate each weekend that they are working very focused on winning the title. Even without reaching the podium in either of the two races over the weekend, the driver from São Paulo managed to score 19 points and left Spain with 92 points in the Championship, 24 more than the second-place driver.

The activities on the track in the city of Montmeló, near Barcelona, began on Friday with the free practice session. With a time of 1m29s358, Gabriel finished seventh in the only practice session and proceeded to the qualifying session in search of improved performance. Despite the short time between the two activities, the Trident team made some adjustments to the car #5 and continued to the qualifying session. Gabriel managed to reduce his time by over a second and secured the sixth-best time, which consequently placed him in seventh position on the starting grid for Saturday’s race (Sprint) and sixth for Sunday’s race (Feature).

After a conservative start in the Sprint race, Bortoleto maintained his seventh position. Always in the leading pack, the driver tried to manage tyre degradation in the first part of the race and, with six laps remaining, he imposed a stronger pace. With four laps to go, in a move on the outside of turns two and three, he overtook both Paul Aron and Sebastian Montoya, jumping to fourth place. In this position, the driver opened a certain gap, but not enough to challenge for third place. With the result, Gabriel added another seven points to his tally.

In Sunday’s race, starting from sixth position, Gabriel once again sought to work smartly and, above all, with his goal in mind. After a good start, he waited for clear opportunities to advance and once again gained two positions, finishing the 25-lap race in fourth place. Due to the higher value of the Feature Race, the Brazilian driver earned 12 points, leaving Barcelona with 92 points in the standings – 24 more than the second-place driver.

“It was a weekend of hard work. We didn’t have the same performance as in Bahrain and Australia, but that didn’t stop us from seeking solutions, and we found a good strategy. This allowed me to better manage tyre degradation and accumulate the highest number of points possible. I added 19 more points in the round, and more than that, I arrived here with a 17-point lead over the vice-leader, and we’re leaving with a 24-point difference. My goal is to be champion, and for that, more than winning races, I have to work on consistency and acquiring the highest number of points in every race. I’m very excited, and in three weeks, we’ll go to Austria, aiming to further widen this gap,” analyzed the 18-year-old Brazilian.

The sixth round of the FIA F3 is scheduled for July 3rd and 4th at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg, Austria.

Pictures: James Gasperotti | KTF Sports

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Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick