Gabriel Bortoleto retired from the Singapore Grand Prix after just eight laps on Sunday (11 October), stopping his Audi near the pit exit with a gearbox problem. The incident prompted race control to deploy the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) during the early stages of the Formula 1 race at Marina Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Brazilian had started 14th but lost three positions on the opening lap, dropping to 17th before his race came to an early end. His difficult getaway contrasted with that of teammate Nico H\u00fclkenberg, who gained positions and moved into eighth place, putting Audi in contention for points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The contrasting starts were notable given Bortoleto’s previous complaints about difficulties getting the Audi off the line. H\u00fclkenberg’s progress showed that the German was able to gain ground in the same race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bortoleto’s retirement came at a particularly frustrating moment for Audi. The team had arrived in Singapore encouraged by recent aerodynamic improvements, with the Brazilian confirming that its latest upgrade had delivered the expected gains<\/a> after initial uncertainty following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the weekend had already exposed reliability concerns. During Friday’s only free-practice session, H\u00fclkenberg also suffered a gearbox-related problem and stopped near the pit exit, triggering a brief VSC. Bortoleto finished that session 16th, while the German was 18th after his running was interrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n