Alex Albon identifies issue with Interlagos after Gabriel Bortoleto’s crash in Brazilian GP Sprint

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Gabriel Bortoleto was involved in a nasty crash during the final lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint race, which saw the event finish under a yellow flag caution.

The young Brazilian found himself airborne after attempting a move on Williams driver Alex Albon, before a heavy impact into the Turn 1 barriers.

Bortoleto was hoping to overtake the Williams at the start of the final lap, chasing the car into the Senna S and along the main straight.

The Sauber driver moved down the inside for an overtake before catching a damp patch off the racing line, which sent him flying across Turn 1 and towards the barrier.

It was a nasty shunt for Bortoleto, with the Sauber’s steering column breaking and scattering debris across the track.

Albon’s race was also compromised after debris got caught under his Williams, which saw him drop down the order to last place.

Read More: Lando Norris wins Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint as Oscar Piastri and Franco Colapinto crash

Alex Albon compares Bortoleto crash to his Turn 1 incident last year

When asked about the crash following the Brazilian Grand Prix, Albon expressed his concern for the rookie, telling Sky Sports F1: “yeah, I just hope he’s okay”.

The British-Thai driver saw a similar crash in 2024, which he compared the incident to in his post-Sprint race interview.

Talking to Sky Sports, Albon said: “These walls around São Paulo, especially into turn one, I had a very similar crash in qualifying last year, and it hurt.

“So I know he said he’s okay with it. It’s still a big crash. Yeah, honestly, I don’t know about the incident itself, I need to review it. I don’t know if I could have done anything to avoid it, but I feel for him.”

Sauber issues update on Gabriel Bortoleto after crash

Sauber has shared that post-Brazilian Sprint race, Bortoleto was taken to the Medical Centre as a precaution following the crash.

Despite climbing out of the car under his own power, the force of the shunt meant he would need to be given a thorough examination.

Shortly after the event, Bortoleto was seen sprinting down the pit lane and back into the Sauber garage which was a reassuring sign for fans.

It has since been shared by the team that Bortoleto has not suffered any injuries and is doing well.

It will be a difficult task for Sauber to repair the car in time for qualifying, with team principal Jonathan Wheatley telling F1TV: “He is fine for the qualifying but they are not sure about the car because they will have to rebuild it”.

Due to regulations, it seems unlikely that Bortoleto will be allowed to participate in today’s qualifying, as the Sauber requires a full chassis change. Despite this, the team have shared that it is still preparing the car for this afternoon.