Zero points and one retirement may have made Audi’s Miami Grand Prix weekend look disappointing on paper, but the German team has reasons to be encouraged by what emerged from the race weekend in Florida. Despite Gabriel Bortoleto’s anonymous 12th-place finish and Nico Hulkenberg’s retirement, the team led by Mattia Binotto came away from the United States with several reassuring technical indications.
The race pace shown by the R26 appeared solid, especially considering Audi was one of the few Formula 1 teams not to introduce major upgrades for the Miami Grand Prix. On that point, Audi Racing Director Allan McNish explained that a more substantial development package, potentially capable of delivering a meaningful step forward in performance, is planned for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal later this month.
According to Allan McNish, Audi’s car delivered a surprisingly competitive level of pace relative to expectations, particularly given the issues encountered by Nico Hulkenberg over the course of the weekend.
In particular, the former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner said he was especially impressed by the pace shown by Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying, where the German driver came within just a few hundredths of reaching Q3 despite suffering a technical problem before the session.
“Speaking about Nico, I have to say that what he did on Saturday, dealing with a technical issue before qualifying and still managing to bring the car to the edge of Q3, was truly impressive; it shows both his experience and his driving ability.”
The former Scottish driver expects the performance gaps between teams to continue shrinking as the Formula 1 season progresses, meaning constant development will be essential to avoid losing ground in the competitive order.
“We know that when a new regulatory cycle begins, the performance gaps are naturally larger, then they narrow race by race. Williams, for example, improved its race pace significantly at this Grand Prix. It will only get tougher, so all we can do is wait for the upgrades to improve the different areas of the car.”
Allan McNish nevertheless underlined that the car’s current performance, particularly from a chassis perspective, is already reasonably strong, giving Audi a solid technical foundation on which to build future development.
Mattia Binotto’s right-hand man also revealed that Audi will bring several upgrades to the Canadian Grand Prix, primarily aimed at improving aerodynamic performance. In particular, the package is expected to include a new floor and revisions to the brake duct design.
The Audi Racing Director also highlighted the complexity of making a brand-new Formula 1 project competitive, especially given the additional challenge of integrating the chassis with a completely new power unit package.
The four-ring manufacturer is therefore targeting long-term competitiveness, but in the shorter term it will certainly expect to move closer to the front in one of the very few elite racing categories where Audi has yet to fully leave its mark.
Audi’s measured approach in the early stages of the season suggests a focus on understanding their fundamental platform before aggressive expansion. With the upcoming Montreal upgrades, the team hopes to translate their promising underlying pace into consistent point-scoring finishes as the 2026 championship intensifies.
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