Sauber Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley has revealed that McLaren rejected a late text message request not to lap Gabriel Bortoleto in the closing stages of the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
The Hinwil-based squad secured its first double-points finish of the year at the Red Bull Ring, with rookie Bortoleto scoring his first-ever top 10 finish in F1 in eighth, with veteran team-mate Nico Hulkenberg just behind in ninth.
Bortoleto was hoping to land an even better finish, and put extreme pressure on Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso for seventh place.
But Alonso was able to fend off the Brazilian, who is looked after by the Spaniard’s management company A14.
This was partly down to Bortoleto’s rhythm being spoiled by race-winner Lando Norris, who came up to lap the pair on the final lap.
After the race, Wheatley revealed he begged McLaren CEO Zak Brown to intervene and request Norris kept out of the way.
“I was more looking behind at getting lapped, and I messaged Zak in the race and said, ‘Don’t lap us!’,” he laughed.
“That would have been the cherry on the icing on the cake. And I think we could have had a slightly different result, but there you go.”
Wheatley: First Bortoleto points were ‘inevitable’
Wheatley heaped praise on Bortoleto, whose performances have perhaps gone under the radar in comparison to fellow rookies Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar, who have scored points on numerous occasions this year.
But the Sauber boss felt that it was never in doubt that he would score a top 10 finish eventually.
“I just felt it was inevitable,” he said. “And I know there was a little bit of a story brewing, like, ‘Oh, he’s the only one without points’.
“But he’s just been on this journey and the mature approach he’s had since the beginning of it, in his work ethic, it’s like it’s not even something I gave thought to, it was only stuff that the media was asking me about.
“And what I love is, and what I’ve seen in the past with young drivers as well is, even though they have all the confidence in the world, each of these milestones just makes them build on it and build on it and build on it. And their confidence grows and grows and grows, you know.
“And he’s got a very, very bright future ahead of him.”
Wheatley was also of the belief that Bortoleto, who also secured Driver of the Day, should have earned the additional accolade already.
“He should have had it in other races as well,” he opined. “I’m super excited for him and super pleased for him.
“He drove a flawless race, absolutely flawless across every tyre set, worked his way through traffic, did clever things with lapping, unlapping. It was a flawless performance.”
READ MORE – How ‘accepting help’ from McLaren boosted Lando Norris in F1 Austrian GP
