Bortoleto targeted by thieves before first F1 Canadian GP appearance

Gabriel Bortoleto's Canadian Grand Prix weekend began in chaos after a robbery in Switzerland saw him lose his passport

Gabriel Bortoleto's week was thrown into chaos before he even stepped into his Sauber, when he became the victim of a robbery in Switzerland. His passport, along with other travel documents, was stolen just days before the race weekend began.

The 20-year-old was enjoying a meal in Zurich when criminals broke into his car, stealing his backpack from the vehicle. It contained a number of his belongings, including his laptop and various racing equipment.

Speaking to Brazilian Formula 1 broadcaster TV Bandsports, the rookie driver revealed the ordeal he went through ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

“I was robbed. I just had dinner in Switzerland one night, and someone opened my car and took my backpack, with my laptop and my documents. All my racing materials were there too. It was chaos."

Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Fortunately for the young driver, the Swiss police were able to track down and apprehend those involved, recovering the stolen items. Despite this, the driver was still forced to use a second passport to travel to Canada.

"But we were able to track down the guy. Everything was well at the end. We were able to recover my passports. We didn’t get to recover everything, but some stuff yes. My racing equipment too."

Despite this turbulent start to his Canadian campaign, Bortoleto has shown solid form, finishing ahead of his team-mate Nico Hulkenberg in both FP1 and FP2 (standard practice caveats still apply, of course). With this being his first time on the Montreal track, he's feeling optimistic going into the Saturday.

"It was a very positive start for our weekend today," he said in a team press release published at the end of Friday's sessions. "Being my first time on this track, I was really focused on understanding how Montreal works, and I'm satisfied with the very solid session we had.

"Looking at the progress we've made, particularly in terms of understanding the car and the work we did to put it into a good operating window for tomorrow I have to say, that I am really happy.

"Overnight, we’ll dive deeper into some specific areas we've identified: there's plenty we can study to ensure we're better positioned ahead of qualifying. It’s tricky to predict where everyone is going to be, as we have seen that, once again, the field is extremely tight.

"Here it will also mean to run a clean qualifying lap without traffic which was already an issue today and will likely play a significant role tomorrow. Whoever manages to find the best position on track and secure a clean lap will have an advantage. Hopefully qualifying will run cleanly and smoothly for everyone."