Gabriel Bortoleto concedes ‘tricky’ start cost him in Japan while Nico Hulkenberg reflects on ‘frustrating’ Suzuka outing

Kick Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg were left to reflect on a frustrating Japanese Grand Prix as neither driver was able to make much progress in the race, the Brazilian rookie coming home in P19 while the German took P16.

Bortoleto’s race got off to the worst possible start when he picked up wheelspin off the line on what looked a slightly greasy portion of the track following earlier rain. Starting on the hard compound tyres did not help the rookie, as three cars shot past him right from the off.

They included Haas' Esteban Ocon – who was also on the hard tyre – and Alpine's Jack Doohan and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll on the softs. Bortoleto only managed to make it back in front of Stroll across the race, enduring lap after lap stuck behind Ocon.

“The start was a bit tricky, I didn’t have the best start ever," Bortoleto explained after the race. "There were two soft tyres behind us so already we expect them to overtake.

SUZUKA, JAPAN - APRIL 06: Esteban Ocon of France driving the (31) Haas F1 VF-25 Ferrari leads — Bortoleto found himself stuck behind Ocon for much of the race in Japan

“But anyways, Ocon was in the same strategy as me and he managed to… he had a better pull away at the start and overtook me, and I got stuck behind him the whole race. I think I was faster through the whole race honestly. It was just not enough pace advantage to overtake."

One thing all the rookies are continuing to do is learn – about their cars, the tyres, how to extract the best from their set-ups and how to fight wheel-to-wheel with their rivals. Bortoleto is no different, as he continues to adjust to life as an F1 driver.

“I’m leaving Suzuka satisfied with how the weekend unfolded,” he added. “I have learned a lot – it’s been a steady learning curve since Melbourne, and I am feeling more in control with each session. I want to thank the team both trackside and back at base.”

SUZUKA, JAPAN - APRIL 06: Nico Hulkenberg of Germany driving the (27) Kick Sauber C45 Ferrari on — Hulkenberg could not find a way to overtake as he came home 16th at Suzuka

As for Hulkenberg, the German was another who could not make much progress through the field on Sunday. He was on the same medium-hard tyre strategy as the majority of the field, and came home behind the Alpine of Doohan.

“The car didn’t feel too bad today, and I would have liked the chance to explore its full potential a bit more,” Hulkenberg said afterwards. "But Suzuka is a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult, and that really defined the race.

“I spent most of the time in traffic, which made it hard to make any real progress and ultimately turned it into a fairly uneventful race. That’s obviously a bit frustrating.

“We know there’s still work to do – both in terms of overall pace and car characteristics – and today’s race underlined that once again. It‘s still early in the season and we continue to learn with every race weekend.”