Gabriel Bortoleto has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the Qatar Grand Prix after his opening nook collision with Lance Stroll on the primary lap of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Kick Sauber driver began P18 for the 50-lap race on the streets of Las Vegas however any hopes of a superb outcome evaporated on the first nook after he dove up the within of a number of vehicles earlier than colliding with Stroll forward.
The contact despatched Bortoleto right into a spin and ultimately retirement on the second lap, whereas Stroll was out instantly following the hit, with the incident place underneath investigation for after the race.
The stewards ultimately handed Bortoleto a five-place grid penalty for the Qatar Grand Prix subsequent weekend and two penalty factors on his licence, noting that the Brazilian “braked extraordinarily late”.
They added that the grid penalty was in lieu of a 10-second race penalty, which couldn’t be served because of Bortoleto’s retirement, “as per the rules”.
“It was my fault. I believe I simply misjudged the grip that I had and the place I used to be on monitor,” mentioned Bortoleto, who has now crashed out of the final three races.
“I had an excellent launch and went for a transfer on the within of the Williams, and once I put the automotive on the left-hand facet of the Williams, it was already time to brake and I broke like 5 metres too late, then simply arrived a bit too lengthy within the nook.
“I had no angle to do the nook as a result of I used to be fully on the within, and simply misjudged it. It was my fault.”
Stroll added: “It occurs. It is racing. Generally these items occur and it’s what it’s.”
