Bernardini wears custom Audi dress at Interlagos as Bortoleto starts 19th after qualifying crash

Isabella Bernardini made a striking appearance at Interlagos ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, wearing a custom dress upcycled from Audi’s adidas Sampa Soul collection — a range the German team launched specifically for Gabriel Bortoleto’s home race.

The piece was created by designer and upcycler Fiona Roerig, who collaborated with the Audi team and Bernardini to shape the final design. Its colour palette of forest green and metallic gold is drawn directly from the Sampa Soul range, while the embroidery pays tribute to São Paulo’s tradition of crochet and needlework. Bernardini also wove in a personal touch by incorporating Bortoleto’s race number, five, into the stitching.

The design drew an enthusiastic response on social media. “Beautiful merchandising by Isabella! And there couldn’t be a better number one supporter and fan for our Brazilian boy!” one user wrote on X. Another added: “Ahh I love it!! She looks gorgeous. We need merch like this!!” A third comment read simply: “That dress is gorgeous.”

The occasion carried a bittersweet edge for Bortoleto himself, who will start his home grand prix from 19th on the grid after sliding into the barriers during a rain-soaked qualifying session at Interlagos.

“Early in qualifying, I was trying to keep some distance from Ollie [Bearman], as I was catching up to him,” Bortoleto told reporters after the session. “I ended up locking the front wheel and couldn’t stop the car in time before hitting the wall. It wasn’t a hard impact, but it shifted the wing, and we couldn’t continue like that. They tried to replace it, but there wasn’t enough time.”

The Brazilian rookie acknowledged the conditions made the circuit treacherous. “At the start of qualifying, it was very wet. Coming out of turns 4 and 5, you couldn’t go full throttle. Honestly, at the corner where I crashed, it was very easy to lock a wheel and end up in the wall.”

Despite the disappointment, Bortoleto struck a measured tone looking ahead to race day. “For now, I just want to go home and rest; it’s been a very long day. Everything had been going incredibly well until I made a mistake in qualifying. I need to clear my head, and tomorrow we’ll figure out the plan. I just want to try and put together a strong recovery race.”