Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber, Interlagos, 2025

Sauber have confirmed their driver Gabriel Bortoleto was unharmed following his huge crash at the end of the sprint race in Interlagos.

Bortoleto lost control of his car as he tried to pass Alexander Albon on the final lap of the race. He had successfully overtaken the Williams in the corner on the previous lap before Albon, on soft tyres, re-passed the medium-shod Sauber approaching Descida do Lago.

On the final lap, Bortoleto attempted to make a late-braking move on the inside of turn one, where the approach speeds exceed 305kph. However he lost control and struck the pit wall on the inside.

His car then lifted into the air as it spun to the outside of the track. It made a second heavy impact with the barrier on the outside and came to a stop.

“I’m okay,” Bortoleto replied when his race engineer asked about his condition. He was checked by medical staff who found he was uninjured.

Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley confirmed Bortoleto appears fit and well after his crash. “I’ve spoken to the medical centre, the manager, and at the moment it sounds like he’s absolutely fine, no injuries at all,” he told the official F1 channel.

Wheatley acknowledged “the incredible work the FIA have done in terms of safety” which allowed Bortoleto to withstand “a crash of that magnitude”.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and

Bortoleto’s chassis suffered substantial damage in the crash which has raised doubts over whether he will be able to participate in qualifying for the grand prix later today. “I’m sure he’ll be ready for qualifying, just not sure about his car,” said Wheatley.

“Obviously we’re just going to build a new car,” he added. “There’s no time to mess around with the one that we have at the moment.”

In a statement Sauber said: “The team would like to thank the circuit marshals, F1 and the FIA and the Medical Centre staff for their superb care. The team will now focus on preparing the cars for this afternoon’s qualifying session.”

This article will be updated

Miss nothing from RaceFans

Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:

2025 Brazilian Grand Prix

Browse all 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix articles