Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto clear the air after the F1 Monaco GP clash, as the Brazilian also clarifies the radio message.
All is sorted now between Mercedes’ Antonelli and Sauber’s Bortoleto after their clash in F1 Monaco GP. The Brazilian wasn’t too pleased after the Italian escaped penalty for the Lap 1 hit. He radioed about putting him in the wall too, but it was in the heat of the moment thing.
The radio message flared up on social media as the fans didn’t likened the mindset of Bortoleto. The Brazilian, though, clarified his intention in the sense that next time he can do similar thing and not be penalised. The two have since had a chat to clear out any misunderstandings between them.
Bortoleto also expanded on why he thought the move was unfair in such a tight corner, but it is something he has learned and will cover off the next time. “Yeah, we did, we spoke,” he said to media. “Obviously, it wasn’t the easiest race, Lap 1 that happening, and then through the race.
“But yeah, we spoke after the race. We have, I believe, respect from each other since go-kart times. It’s not the first time we touch. But now, in Formula 1, everything is broadcasted. But that was good. One of the things I said in the media pen is, I still think it was an optimistic move, obviously he didn’t touch me. But for me, it is very clear, I have seen some analysis as well, trying to understand, there’s things that I can take on my side as well, maybe I could blocked a bit more the entry.
“Historically that’s the corner which has so many incidents when someone tries to overtake because there’s not enough space for two cars. When he divebombed in there, you can see that he understeer quite late…he didn’t touch me, so he didn’t clearly put me in the wall by touching. But to not hit him inside, I open the steering mid-corner, try to go straight but then I had no time to turn.
“I was already in the dirty side of the track and I ended up in the wall. But there was clear no space for two cars in the exit. I mean again, it was clear among all of us too, this is racing, I could have been in his position as well, probably I would have tried to make a move as well, and things happen. Thing is I got frustrated in the moment because there was no penalty.
“So I was feeling like I finished in the wall because of that and no one was penalised. On the radio, obviously, people take parts of something and they clip it and it’s not like this. My radio after, people clipped it, but I actually asked my engineer, ‘What happened? Did he get a penalty for that?’ And he said, ‘Look, no, no penalty for what happened there.’
“So I was like, ‘Okay, so basically, if I do the same, I put him in the wall, and then he doesn’t get a penalty for that?’ But he took it in a way that it looks like I’m going to smash the guy in the wall. But, we are not here to hurt anyone. Obviously, we race hard with each other, and it’s going to still be the same. I’m sure in the future we will have contacts, like with any other driver.
“But, hopefully with respect and race hard but fair,” summed up Bortoleto, as Antonelli too put the thing behind them. The Italian didn’t take offence of the Brazilian’s radio message as well. “You know it can happen,” he said to media. “We were both racing hard and of course, I got overtaken. Then I saw the door open and I went for the move.
“It’s Monaco and it’s super, super easy to [have a crash]. Of course, I didn’t want to see him in the wall. It was not my intention. Even though I didn’t touch him, I tried to leave as much space as possible. But of course, it can really take a fraction [to crash]. My intention was just to overtake him and not to see him in the wall. But yeah, we spoke afterwards.
“The emotion in the moment and also after the race, it can happen. I understand him. I was the same in Miami. I didn’t finish in the wall, but from P1 then when I got pushed off, obviously I was really upset and in such a moment it’s really hard to control the emotions. I understand and I wasn’t mad with what he said in the media. It’s all part of the….he wasn’t cooling down yet and after he cooled down, we had a chat and now it’s all good between us,” summed up Antonelli.
Here’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli on weekend approach
Here’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Andrea Kimi Antonelli on Monaco GP clash
