News Summary
- Gabriel Bortoleto received a 10-second penalty following contact with Carlos Sainz.
- The incident happened at the Lap 13 restart of the Bahrain GP in Malaysia.
- Both drivers complained over team radio, offering conflicting accounts of the collision.
Gabriel Bortoleto received a 10-second penalty after contact with Carlos Sainz at the Lap 13 restart of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The Audi driver made contact with the Williams, sending Sainz sideways as racing resumed at Sepang.
The incident added another flashpoint to a disrupted Formula 1 race, following the rain delay, suspended starting procedure and subsequent Safety Car. Bortoleto and Sainz immediately expressed their frustration over team radio, each suggesting the other was responsible for the contact.
Bortoleto complained that Sainz had not left enough room, according to the radio message displayed on the television broadcast.
“Mate, what the fuck?! He doesn’t give me space there,” Bortoleto said.
Sainz offered the opposite assessment, insisting that he had given the Audi driver sufficient space.
“Fucking Gabi. Left him all the space in the world. Ah!” Sainz said.
The resulting sanction was a 10-second time penalty for Bortoleto. With the race still underway, its final effect on his finishing position remained to be determined.
The collision followed a chaotic opening phase in which Hamilton became stranded and Leclerc reported a software glitch as the starting procedure was suspended. Once the race began, Bottas’s excursion into the gravel brought out the Safety Car before the Lap 13 restart.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is covering all the action from the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang.
F1 today: FAQ
Why did F1 cars lose power before the Bahrain GP in Malaysia?
The FIA identified a combination of low engine speed, low grip, wet-weather energy management settings and Sepang’s sector configuration. It distributed a software update before the race and announced a full review with teams and power unit manufacturers.
Can Kimi Antonelli win the F1 championship in Singapore?
No. Antonelli leads George Russell by 84 points, but even a Singapore Sprint and Grand Prix double would not secure the title. Austin on 25 October is his earliest possible opportunity, depending on his results and those of the remaining contenders.
When is the next F1 race, and is Singapore a Sprint weekend?
The next race is the Singapore Grand Prix on 11 October, with track activity beginning on Friday, 9 October. It is a Sprint weekend: Sprint qualifying takes place on Friday, followed by the Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.
