How helmet punch "reset" Gabriel Bortoleto after near-miss in Q1

Gabriel Bortoleto has explained why he punched his helmet after a lucky escape from Q1 at the Dutch Grand Prix. 

Bortoleto will start from ninth place on the grid at Zandvoort, but he was moments from suffering a starting berth in the bottom six positions on Saturday, after a series of uncharacteristic errors in the first phase of qualifying. 

After returning to the garage, the Brazilian took his frustration out on his helmet, but there was more to this moment than simply a moment of anger.

"It stirred something up, because after the Q1 I had done," he said. 

"I was actually really upset, because I almost got knocked out in Q1. If I could, I very well might have spun out there [at Turn 1]; I came very close.

"But anyway, the lap was really good after that mistake, and I still managed to put a very decent lap on the board. But I wasn't feeling comfortable with the car the way felt. 

"So I said: "Man, I need to reset, I need to release all this adrenaline that is trapped inside me." And after that, I think I became much calmer, took three deep breaths, went into Q2 much more relaxed, ready, and I nailed everything I had to nail in Q2 and Q3."

He added: "I demand a lot from myself. I've always been a person like that. 

"I think it's the only way for us to improve, by demanding more from ourselves and accepting our mistakes."

Audi showed strong pace during practice on Friday, and started and finished the sprint race in ninth, which would yield two points should he maintain the position on Sunday. 

"The truth is that maybe if I didn't have a car today that was ready to fight for Q3, with a mistake like that I could have been eliminated in Q1, because I wouldn't have been able to recover later," he conceded. 

"Obviously, I know I can take certain risks in Q1 because I have a good car that allows me to get through Q1 relatively easily, and move on to Q2. Then yes, it gets a bit harder to reach Q3.

"But I always like to leave a session saying: "Man, I put together the best laps I possibly could," just like I did in sprint quali."