Audi F1 Team closes out day 3 of week 2 of F1 pre-season testing with 135 laps completed. Nico Hülkenberg ran 64 laps in the day 3 morning session. His teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, added another 71 laps in the afternoon. The F1 season starts in under two weeks, giving the team time to review the data before the action begins.
Binotto on Audi’s F1 Testing and the hard work in pre-season
Speaking positively about the team’s progress, the Head of Audi F1 Project Mattia Binotto said:
“It’s been a long, intense pre-season, a long winter, and the team has shown great dedication and commitment throughout since our first outing at the beginning of January. We started from a rather challenging position, with a list of areas to improve, and the response has been very strong across all departments: I want to thank everyone in Hinwil, Neuburg, and Bicester for their hard work.
“Step by step, we’ve addressed many of those points and made significant progress. We haven’t solved everything, yet, but the development and the attitude across the team have been very encouraging. Looking at where we are now, I feel positive as we approach the start of the season.”
Attention on Melbourne for Audi after F1 testing
Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley reflected on the team’s work over the winter in a positive light. As Wheatley previously served as Red Bull’s Sporting Director, this season marks an exciting chapter for him. After the testing, Wheatley is motivated for Audi’s maiden F1 season.
“If I look back at 2026 so far, I see an extraordinary level of ambition across the team. Over the winter, we relocated several hundred people following refurbishment of our factory building, signed a roster of new partners, renewed every element of our trackside infrastructure — from pit equipment and panels to pit walls and hospitality — all delivered on schedule.
“We also became the first team to run a 2026-specification car, taking to the track in the second week of January after successfully completing all FIA crash tests – an exceptional achievement in itself. Since then, we have launched the team in Berlin, participated in every day of testing and gathered a vast amount of information, not only about the car but about ourselves as a team.
“The mileage we have achieved and the way the organisation has responded to every challenge over the past two months give me great encouragement. There is still a substantial job list heading into the season. We have made strong progress over the past two weeks, but we are under no illusion about the task ahead or the level of competition we will face in Melbourne.
“That said, we are motivated, focused and united. The team spirit across Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester is of the highest order. We now pack up, regroup and turn our full attention to Melbourne.”
More positives than negatives as Audi’s F1 Testing concludes
Technical Director of Audi, James Key, reflected on the three winter tests with nostalgia. Key summarised that there were more positives than negatives to take away from testing.
“Firstly, it has been a long time since we have had three winter tests. It brings back memories of an era when testing was far more extensive, but it was certainly necessary given these new cars and the scale of the regulation changes. It is hard to believe that only six weeks ago we were tentatively rolling the car out of the garage in Barcelona for our filming day in early January.
“Since then, we have made significant progress. Over the past weeks we have introduced our race-spec aero package, completed race distance simulations, and carried out an extensive amount of set-up work across both chassis and power unit. It has been an extremely busy and intense period. The drivers are comfortable with the car and it is a good platform to work with. There are areas to improve in terms of reliability and performance, but nothing unexpected at this stage.
“Overall, we are broadly where we hoped to be at this point in the season and in our development as a team. As we continue to mature as Audi F1 Team, we can take more positives than negatives and head into the season with a degree of optimism — even if none of us truly knows where we stand competitively.
“I would also like to recognise the team’s effort. We were the first car on track and made substantial steps across the tests in how the car was configured and developed. Our colleagues in Neuburg have worked immensely hard to translate the first track data into continuous improvements over the course of the programme. A sincere thank you to everyone involved for the enormous effort required to reach this point.
Driver recognition
“Thank you as well to Gabi and Nico for their positivity, feedback and the many laps they completed. Finally, particular recognition goes to the trackside team. Working with an unfamiliar car, they put in long hours to ensure we were ready to exit the garage at nine o’clock each morning, incorporating updates and managing issues throughout the day. Their work has been outstanding, and we leave testing with a strong foundation to build on.”
Hülkenberg on Audi taking important steps forwards
Nico Hülkenberg began the third day of testing as one of the only drivers on hard tyres. He finished the morning session as P9 and completed 64 laps around the Bahrain International Circuit. When the results from the afternoon session came in, he was bumped down to P15. The German reflected positively on the day.
“A rather solid day to finish our work here in Sakhir and, with it, pre-season testing. Our programme in Barcelona and the two sessions here in Bahrain are complete, and the focus now shifts to Melbourne, something that felt so far away in January. Looking back to these weeks of testing, we can find encouragement in the significant number of laps we completed: it’s testament to the enormous amount of work that has gone in across the factories in Hinwil, Bicester and Neuburg, in particular. Bringing a new power unit to the track and beginning to understand it properly is a major undertaking, so a sincere thank you to everyone involved.
“We have made substantial progress over the course of the tests, learning day by day and taking important steps forward. The team has been very hands-on, responding quickly to challenges and implementing solutions effectively. Now we have a week to consolidate all our learnings, do our homework and prepare thoroughly for Melbourne. Then it is finally time to go racing.”
Bortoleto positive ahead of Melbourne
While Audi was absent for the first hour of the afternoon session, Gabriel Bortoleto did eventually get out on track. The Brazilian started his afternoon run two hours after the session had begun. Still, he completed more laps than his teammate as his day ended with 71 laps. Bortoleto’s fastest lap time was 1:33.755, putting him P7 overall for day 3.
“We wrap up two productive weeks here in Bahrain, and overall a very busy pre-season. I think the team has done a really good job. We’ve made solid progress with our car from where we started, and that’s really encouraging to see. There are still areas to work on and plenty to learn about it, but overall, it’s safe to say it’s been a positive test, and I want to thank everyone in the team, both trackside as well as in Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester for their support and hard work. Now, the focus shifts to Melbourne: I’m looking forward to getting the season started.”
With the F1 season opener in Melbourne, Bortoleto will begin his second year in the pinnacle of motorsport. Building on his rookie-season experience and taking his learnings with him, the new season is bound to be exciting.
