Overview
- FIA stewards ruled Gabriel Bortoleto wholly at fault for braking too late at Turn 1 in Las Vegas and colliding with Lance Stroll, triggering a multi-car incident.
- With Bortoleto retiring from the race, the standard 10-second penalty was converted into a five-place grid drop for Qatar and two superlicence points.
- Bortoleto accepted responsibility and visited Aston Martin to apologise to Stroll, drawing praise for the gesture from fans and commentators.
- Team principal Jonathan Wheatley dismissed calls to tell the rookie to slow down, calling it a genuine error and stressing a long-term development approach.
- The sanction compromises Bortoleto’s starting position for the penultimate round in Qatar and limits valuable track experience as the season closes.