Bortoleto abandons in Las Vegas after another collision with rival

Gabriel Bortoleto had to abandon his second consecutive Grand Prix in Formula 1. After facing issues in Interlagos, the Brazilian driver suffered another collision that damaged his Sauber. The culprit was the same: Lance Stroll from Aston Martin. The collision occurred right at the start when Bortoleto had managed to gain five positions. However, the Brazilian failed to brake in the first corner and took Stroll with him. ‘I apologize to him, it was my mistake. We knew there would be low grip due to the hard tire on a very cold track, but that’s no excuse. I should have braked ten, five meters earlier,’ said Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian tried to rejoin the race and went to the pits on the next lap, but the damage to the front wing was too extensive. Stroll also had to abandon the race. Another chapter in the rivalry between the two drivers unfolded. They were involved in an incident in the previous race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, at Interlagos. It was the Brazilian’s debut in Sao Paulo, which did not end well. On that occasion, Bortoleto was squeezed by Stroll in a battle for positions and made contact with the Canadian. The rookie went off track and also had to retire. Stroll received a bad reputation after the incident, with Argentinian Franco Colapinto from Alpine criticizing the Aston Martin driver. In response, the Canadian took a swipe at him, saying, ‘I heard about it. I don’t know, maybe he’s frustrated and annoyed with life. I don’t know how many points he has in the championship, I can’t tell you. He has zero points. Maybe he should focus on his own things and try to score points this year.’