F1 Driver Issues Apology To Rival Over Las Vegas GP Incident

Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto has apologised after causing a race-ending crash on lap one of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Bortoleto qualified 18th in changeable conditions on Saturday, putting the Brazilian on the back foot heading into the Grand Prix on Sunday.

Heading into turn one, Bortoleto attempted a move on the inside of Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, but overshot the corner.

He hit the side of Stroll, causing terminal damage to the suspension of the Aston Martin car.

Bortoleto himself was forced to pit at the end of the first lap, but only managed a further tour of the circuit before himself retiring due to collision damage.

It is the second race in a row that he has been involved in a first-lap incident - with Stroll coincidentally the other driver involved during the Brazilian Grand Prix as well.

On that occasion, Stroll squeezed Bortoleto on the outside of turn 10 before the pair made contact.

But the Brazilian described it as a racing incident, with the FIA seemingly agreeing as Stroll faced no further action.

However, there was no doubt about who was at fault in Vegas, with Bortoleto carrying too much speed into turn one before his collision with the Canadian driver.

And after the race, he walked across to the Aston Martin garage to offer a personal apology to Stroll.

In a clip posted by Aston Martin's official Twitter account, Bortoleto can be heard saying sorry to Stroll, who appears to accept it before replying: "Man, it's cold tyres..."

During his post-race interviews, Stroll would tell reporters: "It happens. It's racing. Sometimes these things happen, and it is what it is."

Bortoleto, meanwhile, was handed a five-place grid penalty for the Qatar Grand Prix next weekend.

The FIA stated that they would have awarded a 10-second penalty to be served during the race in Vegas, but the Sauber driver could not serve it as he had already retired by the time of the verdict.

"It was my fault," Bortoleto admitted. "I think I just misjudged the grip that I had and where I was on track.

"I had a very good launch and went for a move on the inside of the Williams ... I broke like five metres too late, then just arrived a bit too long in the corner."

He added: "I had no angle to do the corner because I was completely on the inside, and just misjudged it. It was my fault."