Dangerous Nurburgring red flag act sees stewards deliver verdict to ex-Red Bull junior
Portrait of Mirko Bortolotti with his helmet on.
Lamborghini ace Mirko Bortolotti found himself in hot water with officials after he failed to slow under red flags during qualifying for the 24 Hours of Nurburgring.
The Italian was found in breach of the FIA International Sporting Code, which mandates that drivers reduce their speed immediately and do not overtake under red flag conditions.
Lamborghini ace guilty of ignoring red flags in dangerous Nurburgring incident
Bortolotti did both, remaining at full speed for an extended period before passing the Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.
It was only once clear of the Aston Martin that Bortolotti recognised the red flags and slowed.
The result was that the Italian’s car was moved to the rear of its start group, while stewards also imposed a suspended withdrawal of his ‘Ring Licence’ for the balance of the event.
“After examining and evaluating all available evidences, the Stewards consider it proven that the driver was not prepared to manage the red flag situation during a long distance (overspeeding) until he recognise [sic] the red flag situation by reaching an already slower car,” the stewards’ document notes.
Stewards noted that there was no dangerous situation caused by Bortolotti’s actions, though they highlighted it is still unacceptable under red flag conditions.
Onboard vision from the Lamborghini showed him passing more than eight flag and light panels, all of which had red flags displayed.
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“I made a mistake and I definitely want to apologise for that,” he told Sportscar365.
“I realised and reacted to the red flag too late but I didn’t put anyone in danger. It’s a tough pill to swallow.
“It’s not an excuse, but until that point, we were on our way to a potential pole, so obviously I was fully in the zone.
“All I can say is sorry to my team, my teammates, and the marshals. I respect all decisions, and I’m the first guy who says mea culpa when I make a mistake. Now we focus on the race.”
Bortolotti also took to social media to offer an apology, writing: “I made a mistake today – no excuses. I spotted the red flag too late and reacted too slowly. Thankfully, no one was put at risk. It’s a tough one to take, especially since we were on a strong lap and fully locked in…”
A winner of the DTM series in 2024 and Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup in 2017, Bortolotti started his career in single-seaters.
He won the Italian Formula 3 Championship in 2008, which saw him pick up Red Bull backing ahead of racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2009, winning that competition in 201.
His performance in the 2008 Italian F3 championship landed him a drive of a Ferrari F2008 at the Scuderia’s Fiorano test track and was linked to a race drive the following year as a possible replacement for the injured Felipe Massa.
Bortolotti drove for Williams at the 2011 young drivers’ test in Abu Dhabi, after which he switched focus to GT racing.
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