Formula 1 News: Bortoleto safety call triggers FIA rule chaos

(GMM) Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto (pictured) sparked a paddock storm in Melbourne on Saturday when a safety complaint he raised prompted the FIA to ban straight-line mode in a key sector – only for the governing body to reverse the decision two hours later under pressure from the other teams.

Three hours before third practice, the FIA informed teams that flattening the wings between Turns 8 and 11 would be prohibited – a section containing the high-speed Turns 9 and 10 where several drivers, including Max Verstappen, had run wide during Friday’s sessions.

Bortoleto had warned that running with reduced downforce in a race pack could cause accidents.

The FIA’s sporting director, Nikolas Tombazis, acknowledged that seven of F1’s eleven different cars were losing more downforce than expected with both wings open. But the reaction from the rest of the field was immediate and hostile, according to Auto Motor und Sport.

Teams complained that everything learned on Friday was now worthless. “We’re starting from scratch – with the ride height, the car setup, the energy management,” one source said.

Bortoleto’s critics were blunter, with one observing: “If it’s too fast for him, he should drive in Formula 2.”

Within two hours the FIA backed down. The episode was widely seen as Audi playing politics.

The two R26s had been among the fastest cars in sector 2 but struggled specifically in the two critical corners. Auto Motor und Sport’s Michael Schmidt, one of F1’s most respected technical writers, was scathing.

“The episode demonstrates once again how poorly conceived these regulations are,” he said.

Against that backdrop, Audi’s underlying pace has been one of the more positive stories of the Melbourne weekend. Bortoleto reached Q3 on his debut for the team, prompting team principal Jonathan Wheatley to say: “For Gabriel to reach Q3 in his very first race for Audi is a special moment for everyone involved.”

Former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld said Audi’s strong start was no accident. “A new engine era is beginning in which everyone is more or less starting from scratch,” he said.

“Audi also lobbied for certain framework conditions in the regulations – otherwise they might not have entered at all. The goal should certainly be to finish in the midfield at least, but even more important is to see improvement.”