With Audi’s power deficit not as detrimental around Monaco as it has been elsewhere, this Formula 1 weekend was earmarked as a prime opportunity to add to its modest tally of two points.
Both Gabriel Bortoleto and veteran team-mate Nico Hulkenberg finished all three practice sessions inside the top 10 to tease what was possible later in qualifying and then the race.
But after completing a lap that was good enough for Q2, Bortoleto clipped the inside barrier on the entry into Nouvelle Chicane late during Q1, grinding to a halt with a broken front-left suspension to bring out a red flag.
Bortoleto was unfortunate that the tiniest of touches led to an early retirement, but when Motorsport put that to him the Brazilian wasn’t interested in excuses and fully blamed himself for not leaving any margin.
“It was a very tiny touch, but it’s not even about the touch,” the 21-year-old sophomore responded. “It’s about why should I take that much risk in that corner that we have seen drivers already breaking the suspension in the past?
“I would understand if it happens in a Q2 or a Q3 lap when we were pushing to the limits. But in a Q1 lap, I would say this was a mistake that I’ve not seen myself do often. But I need to reanalyse a bit and understand why I was pushing that much so early in qualifying.
“I pushed a bit too much in Q1 where there was no need because we had a car easily to go through Q1 at least. So, you can take a little bit more margin, build up some confidence.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
Hulkenberg, meanwhile, was on the wrong end of a tight four-car battle for Q3, which was won by an elated Alpine driver Pierre Gasly.
But Audi did confirm it could have got close to a top 10 start and with it a decent chance to score points with a clean outing on Sunday afternoon. That realisation has made Bortoleto’s qualifying mistake even more frustrating.
“The pace was there,” he acknowledged. “It’s just disappointing to know that you can be fighting for the points. It’s difficult for us because we have only selected tracks right now that we can do that often, and Monaco was one of them.
“Monaco is a special track, so I really wanted to deliver a good job for the team. I feel like it’s difficult to move on because I see how hard they work. I’m always very harsh on myself, because I’m harsh on them when things are not right as well.
“It’s just a shame that I was not able to deliver what the team deserved.”
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