Audi’s start to life in Formula 1 has probably fallen below expectations, at least in terms of pure results. Just two points from the opening races of the 2026 season and ninth place in the constructors’ championship represent a very modest return for a car that, in terms of outright pace, has often looked like the seventh-fastest machine on the grid. That is the real paradox of the Audi R26: the speed is clearly there, but almost everything required to convert that speed into meaningful results has been missing. Operational errors, reliability concerns, and structural limitations have prevented the German team from capitalising, perhaps paying a heavier price than the car’s actual potential would suggest.
Miami summed up Audi’s situation perfectly: the pace is there, the execution is not
In many ways, the Miami Grand Prix weekend was the perfect summary of Audi’s current Formula 1 situation. The German car was arguably the strongest midfield contender behind Alpine, yet still left Florida with another pointless weekend.
The main issue continues to be reliability. Nico Hulkenberg did not even make the start of the Sprint Race after his car literally caught fire during the formation lap, marking the third failed race start for the German manufacturer this season. Allan McNish, racing director of the Audi Formula 1 project, explained what happened.
“There was some fluid that ended up on the exhaust, causing the fire. We had an issue before leaving the garage and thought we had fixed it, but that was not the case and there was still fluid inside. It is actually a fairly simple explanation.”
The incident highlighted how some of Audi’s problems are not necessarily rooted in fundamental design flaws, but rather in operational mistakes that should, in theory, be easier to eliminate.
The same logic applies to Gabriel Bortoleto’s exclusion from the Sprint after finishing 11th on track, caused by exceeding the intake air pressure limit.
“It did not provide any performance advantage, but the regulations are clear: either you are within the limits, or you are excluded.”
But the problems did not stop there. Bortoleto’s qualifying session began late because of a brake issue linked to a gearbox problem identified at the last possible moment. Once again, the situation was made worse by the simultaneous need to repair Nico Hulkenberg’s car following the Sprint fire.
Hulkenberg’s Grand Prix itself lasted only seven laps. After contact with Carlos Sainz at Turn 1, the German driver was eventually forced to retire with a transmission overheating problem that left the car stuck in first gear behind the Safety Car.
Bortoleto, meanwhile, delivered what was overall a solid race performance, recovering to 12th place. However, starting from the back of the grid meant his chances of scoring points were always slim.
“If he had started from the position he deserved in qualifying, around 11th, he would have finished in the points. The same applies to Nico if we had enjoyed a clean race. From a performance point of view, it was obvious that we were very competitive in Sector 1. But once we were stuck in traffic, overtaking was not as easy as we would have liked.”
Audi’s weakness: starts and racing in traffic
And that is where another limitation of the Audi R26 becomes clear: raceability.
The car appears to struggle significantly during race starts and overtaking situations. According to paddock analysis, one possible explanation lies in Audi’s turbocharger, believed to be the largest among the current Formula 1 engine manufacturers. That solution may help in terms of maximum power output, but it comes with a trade-off in immediate throttle response and drivability.
The ERS deployment system also reportedly does not deliver energy as efficiently as some rival power units, making attacking moves even more difficult. Audi has already worked intensively on its launch procedures, carrying out multiple simulations during the Monza filming day before Miami, but internally the issue is reportedly considered structural and potentially something that could continue affecting part of the 2026 campaign.
“Obviously, we do not want these problems. But other manufacturers are having difficulties too, not just us. If I look at Kimi Antonelli’s starts or similar situations, there are many areas that everyone is still trying to understand and control.”
McNish also acknowledged the steep learning curve facing the German manufacturer.
“We are learning far more than the others because they already understand 75% of the Formula 1 system. Of course, we need to fix these things, there is no doubt.”
Part of these struggles can reasonably be explained by the fact that Audi is a completely new Formula 1 power unit manufacturer. However, some of the operational mistakes inside the garage are harder to justify given the decades of experience already present within the Sauber organisation.
At the same time, though, there is also an encouraging detail: the problems rarely repeat themselves in exactly the same way. That suggests the team is not dealing with one catastrophic design flaw, but rather a series of different growing pains that come with understanding a new Formula 1 package.
Gabriel Bortoleto himself called for patience.
“I do not think we have had a single issue that was the same as another. We had many problems this weekend, but they were all different.”
The Brazilian also highlighted one of the major structural disadvantages facing Audi compared to its rivals.
“We are a new engine manufacturer. We only have two cars. There are teams using eight cars with the same power unit—just imagine how much data they can collect compared to us. We simply need to be patient. Once everything is sorted, I am sure we will be competitive.”
There are still reasons for optimism
Despite everything, the positive signs are there.
The Audi R26 has consistently shown enough pace to reach Q2 and has already made two appearances in Q3. The power unit itself, considering this is a completely new first-generation project, has also looked credible from a pure performance standpoint.
A more substantial upgrade package is also expected in Canada following the smaller changes introduced in Miami. If Audi can reduce the number of operational errors and improve reliability, the potential to become a regular points contender in the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 season appears to be very real.
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