After a weekend that showed encouraging signs in terms of competitiveness, Audi once again returned home without scoring any points. However, unlike several previous races this season, the German team leaves Barcelona with reasons for optimism, having demonstrated enough pace to consistently challenge for positions inside the top ten.
Audi has undoubtedly been one of the biggest disappointments of the opening phase of the Formula 1 season. Sitting ninth in the Constructors’ Championship with just two points, ahead of only Aston Martin and Cadillac, every opportunity to score is particularly important. That is why the Spanish Grand Prix leaves the team with more than a few regrets.
The race quickly became complicated for both drivers. Nico Hulkenberg appeared well placed to fight for points before being forced to retire due to an incident that was as unusual as it was unfortunate. Gabriel Bortoleto, meanwhile, endured a difficult opening lap and contact early in the race, forcing him into a long recovery drive that ultimately ended with an 11th-place finish, just outside the points-paying positions.
Allan McNish reflects on a frustrating result
The first person to assess the weekend was Allan McNish, who did not hide his disappointment with the final outcome.
“It was a very frustrating end to what had been a very good weekend for us as a team. Nico’s car shut down after Lawson ran slightly wide and kicked up some gravel, which struck the fire safety switch. This triggered an automatic safety function designed to shut the car down in an emergency situation. Nico was able to return to the pits at low speed, but unfortunately that was the end of his race.
“Gabi had a difficult start and didn’t get away well. He became trapped in a group of cars and was pushed into the gravel, where he sustained damage to the car. From that point onwards he was in recovery mode, fighting his way back through the field, and eventually finished 11th, just outside the points.
“From the team’s perspective, it had been a strong weekend up until the race. It’s disappointing not to have converted the pace we showed into points, but the underlying performance was there. We’ll take the positives with us, continue working hard and now shift our focus to the next race at Spielberg.”
Nico Hulkenberg undone by extraordinary bad luck
Nico Hulkenberg was the victim of an extremely unusual chain of events that effectively ended his race through no fault of his own.
“It was a very unusual and unfortunate retirement. Liam went slightly wide in front of me and put a wheel into the gravel at Turn 12, which kicked up a lot of stones. Some of them hit our car and appear to have activated the emergency switch, causing a complete shutdown of the system.
“Everything switched off instantly and that was the end of our race.
“Obviously it’s very frustrating because we were in a good position to fight for points. The pace we showed throughout the weekend was convincing and, after qualifying yesterday, there was a real opportunity to achieve an important result.
“Unfortunately, we leave empty-handed, but this was simply a case of bad luck rather than a performance or reliability issue.”
For Audi, Hulkenberg’s retirement was particularly painful because the German driver had consistently looked capable of securing one of the team’s strongest results of the season.
Gabriel Bortoleto highlights the positives
One of the few bright spots to emerge from the Spanish Grand Prix was Audi’s race pace and, more generally, the level of competitiveness shown on a demanding circuit such as Barcelona.
Gabriel Bortoleto also pointed to the encouraging progress made over recent weeks.
“It wasn’t the easiest race for us. We had a complicated start, which cost us several positions on the opening lap. Then, unfortunately, I was involved in a racing incident with Esteban Ocon. We touched while running side by side, I was pushed into the gravel and sustained quite a bit of damage, which I then had to manage for the rest of the race.
“Despite all of that, there are still positives to take away from this first European double-header. Once again, we showed good pace in every session. It’s encouraging to see that on two very different circuits. Hopefully we can continue building on this foundation when we return at Spielberg in two weeks.”
Although the points tally remains unchanged after Barcelona, the key takeaway for Audi is that the problem no longer appears to be the car’s potential.
For a project that is still very much in its development phase, that may be the most important conclusion of all. While the final result failed to reflect the team’s true pace, Audi leaves Spain with growing confidence that it is moving in the right direction ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
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