Zak Brown text message plea revealed: 'Don't lap us!'

Stake F1 team principal Jonathan Wheatley revealed that he sent McLaren CEO Zak Brown a message during the closing stages of the Austrian Grand Prix.  The Hinwil-based outfit achieved its first double-points finish since early 2022 at the Red Bull Ring after Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg finished in eighth and ninth, respectively. It marked Bortoleto's first points in Formula 1, whilst it was Hulkenberg's third consecutive top 10 finish. However, it could have been even better for the Swiss team, if not for McLaren.  Bortoleto found himself in an intense battle for seventh with Fernando Alonso; however, had to back out of the fight to be lapped by race winner Lando Norris.  In fear of being lapped by the Briton and losing out on seventh, Wheatley jokingly messaged Brown, asking not to be lapped. When asked if he enjoyed Bortoleto's battle with Alonso, Wheatley told select media, including RacingNews365 : "I was more looking behind it and getting lapped.  "And I messaged Zak in the race and said, 'Don't lap us!' But they did. That would have been the cherry on the icing on the cake, you know?  "I think, yeah, we could have had a slightly different result, but there you go. You get lapped twice in a race and that's where you end up." Bortoleto points 'inevitable' It was a significant weekend for Stake in Austria, with the team having elevated themselves into genuine contention for sixth in the constructors' standings.  For Bortoleto, it also marked an important milestone in scoring points; however, Wheatley had no concern over when it would happen. "I just felt it was inevitable, you know?" said Wheatley. "I know there was a little bit of a story brewing, like, 'Oh, he's the only one without points', but he's just been on this journey.  "And the mature approach he's had since the beginning of it, and his work ethic, it's like, it's not even something I gave thought to.  "It was only stuff that the media was asking me about, and what I what I love is, and what I've seen in the past with young drivers as well, is, even though they have all the confidence in the world, each of these milestones just makes them build on it and build on it and build on it.  "And the confidence grows and grows and grows. He's got a very, very bright future ahead of him."