In the 11th round of F2, the Brazilian driver started last and claimed victory this Sunday.

Unthinkable… never before in history… surreal! Many adjectives could describe the feat Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto achieved this Sunday in Monza, Italy. In the 11th round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship, the driver, who had started from the last position on the grid, staged an impressive recovery drive and completed the 30 laps to a much celebrated first place.

Gabriel’s weekend started well. On Friday, during the only practice session scheduled, Bortoleto managed to put in a very fast lap, clocking a time of 1m32.530s, which secured him the second-fastest time. Unfortunately, however, during the qualifying session, he ended up going off track on his flying lap and got stuck in the gravel trap. As a result, without registering any fast laps, he had to settle for the last position on the grid for the start of the two upcoming races.

“Without a doubt, I am very disappointed. Our car is super fast, and I was on a good lap. A competitor went off track right in front of me and dragged some gravel onto the track. These little stones ended up sticking to my tire, and on the next braking point, I lost control of the car and went off. We need to keep our heads up and focus on recovery races. Fortunately, this track allows for overtaking, and since our setup is very good, we will focus on scoring points,” commented the driver from São Paulo after the qualifying.

A MATURE RACE

In 22nd position on the grid, Bortoleto lined up the #10 car of the Invicta Racing team for the start of the Sprint Race. On a very hot Saturday, the driver made a good start and began his recovery. In a race where a pit stop was not mandatory, the strategy was super simple – accelerate and overtake as many competitors as possible. Thus, the 19-year-old Brazilian maintained a strong pace from the start. Avoiding the few accidents that occurred, he continued to gain positions until, at the end of the 21 laps, he crossed the finish line in eighth place, tied down to the milliseconds with Dennis Hauger. Given this unusual situation, the organization decided to split the point for eighth place between both drivers, with each receiving half a point in the standings.

A HISTORIC MOMENT
Once again, on Sunday, Bortoleto had to start from 22nd, but the strategy would be a bit more complex as it involved a pit stop and using tires with different rubber compounds. Together with his engineering team, the driver thoroughly studied all the options and decided to start the race on soft tires.
With another good start, the young driver from São Paulo overtook no fewer than five competitors on the first lap alone and began his recovery race. With an impressive pace, he continued overtaking those ahead of him until, on lap eight, when he was already in 10th place, all the cars ahead of him pitted. At that moment, Bortoleto took the lead, and halfway through lap nine, an accident brought out the safety car. Gabriel, being mid-lap, maintained a very fast pace, made his mandatory pit stop, and managed to return to the track in a “virtual” first place as six cars had yet to pit. The safety car stayed on track until lap 12, when it then left the circuit. With remarkable confidence, Gabriel began pushing even harder. Regardless of the mandatory pit stops of the competitors ahead of him, he overtook them one by one until he effectively took the lead on lap 18. From then on, with no one ahead, Bortoleto continued setting fast laps, eventually taking the checkered flag at the end of lap 30 with nearly a 10-second advantage over the second-place driver.

With the weekend’s results, Bortoleto added another 25.5 points to his championship tally and moved significantly closer in the standings. The leader is still the Frenchman Isac Hadjar, but now with only a 10.5-point gap over the Brazilian. Before this round, the gap was 36 points.

“I am very happy and emotional about what we managed to accomplish here today in Monza. It feels like a dream coming true. Our car was perfect, we had a good strategy, and, naturally, the timing of the safety car entry helped us a bit. After what happened in qualifying, we kept our heads up and, with a lot of confidence, managed to have two fantastic races. I want to thank my family and sponsors who are always with me. However, I want to dedicate this victory to all the fans who cheer for me and, since Friday, have given me tremendous support to look ahead and believe until the last moment. Thank you very much, everyone. #IBelieve,” celebrated the driver sponsored by McLaren, Banco BRB, Porto, Snapdragon, Barthelemy, and KTF Sports.

Pictures: Dutch Photo Agency | Disclosure
Press office of Gabriel Bortoleto
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick