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Gabriel Bortoleto made overtakes "by mistake" in F1 Australian GP

Bortoleto put Audi inside the points on its debut after what he described as a chaotic first race with the new generation of F1 cars

Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto has revealed that he accidentally overtook several cars in Formula 1's Australian Grand Prix due to substantial closing speeds.

F1's new rules era began at Melbourne last week, with the majority of drivers critical about the impact of active aero and increased electric power on wheel-to-wheel racing.

But the same technical regulations also played a key role in enticing German manufacturer Audi to enter F1 for the first time, with the team going on to score points on its debut courtesy of Bortoleto.

Having started 10th, the Brazilian spent the race in the thick of the midfield battle, putting him in a strong position to offer his views on the 2026 cars.

"It was very nice, I must say, but a lot of things to be learned still," he said. "I made overtakes – that I didn't want to make – by mistake, because I had so much energy and the other car was clipping like crazy.

"But you need to think a lot when you're racing. Last year, everything was much more predictable. So, as soon as you make an overtake, it was done. And now you make an overtake, you need to calculate the next three straights, because maybe the guy will overtake you back, then you need to overtake him back in the other one. And it keeps going like that until everyone is in the same state of energy.

"I wish I could give you more than this, but I'm still a bit confused with the regs. And I'm getting to know them better while we live them."

Asked if the new rules were "too complicated or something you'll learn over time", he replied: "I think you'll learn over time."

Gabriel Bortoleto a passé les premiers tours derrière Fernando Alonso à Melbourne.

Gabriel Bortoleto spent the first few laps behind Fernando Alonso in Melbourne.

Photo by: Lars Baron / Getty Images

After progressing into Q3 on Saturday, Bortoletto finished the grand prix in ninth place, helping Audi beat Mercedes customers Alpine and Williams, as well as F1 newcomer Cadillac.

Bortoleto, now in his sophomore season in F1, admitted his surprise at the result after a tough start to life for Audi in pre-season testing.

“I’m very happy and very positive,” he said. “The team has done an incredible job. All winter working very hard to put a car in one piece that finished the first race, got the first Q3. So, it's the start of a long journey, but extremely happy.

He added: “If someone told me we were going to score points in our first ever race and be in Q3, man, I would have said they were drunk or what’, because it was a bit tough at the beginning for us – a lot of problems, a lot of things happening. But the team has managed to put an incredible piece of art and deliver a great result.”

Bortoleto didn’t get off the line well at the start and dropped outside the top 10, but gradually fought his way back into ninth place. He also spent two laps in the slipstream of his manager Fernando Alonso and admitted that the entire race was chaotic from his perspective.

"There were a lot of messy things happening," he said. "It was just a crazy race. I still need to think a little bit [about] what happened. But the start was a messy one. A lot of lock-ups, a lot of very good and bad starts. And pitstops, safety cars. It was one of the 100 [things] that happened."