Gabriel Bortoleto scores points on Audi’s F1 debut: “Proud to write a piece of motorsport history”. Gabriel Bortoleto secures ninth place for Audi in the Australian Grand Prix.

A memorable debut

In an Australian Grand Prix that showcased the remarkable talent of rookie Arvid Lindblad, who emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the race at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit, championship points also arrived for another debuting force in Formula 1. The team in question was Audi, which managed to secure a top-10 finish during the very first race weekend in its history in the sport thanks to Gabriel Bortoleto, who crossed the line in ninth place.

The pride of the four rings

The Brazilian driver had already placed the R26 inside the top ten during qualifying and then fought hard throughout the race to hold on to a points-paying position — successfully achieving the goal at the very first attempt.

“Finishing in the points in our very first event as Audi and writing a piece of motorsport history is something the whole team can be extremely proud of,” he said. “It was a positive race at the end of a good weekend for us. The car and the power unit worked reliably throughout the entire day, which is a great reward for the enormous effort that went into preparing everything over the winter for the season.

The race itself was quite demanding and at times a bit chaotic with the new regulations, so there are still many things we need to study and understand better. But the pace was strong, the communication was excellent, and the team executed the race very well. Overall, this is probably more than we could have expected from our first weekend.

This result gives us a solid foundation to build on, but we know there are still many areas where we can improve. There are many races ahead of us, and now our goal is to keep learning, keep developing the car, and come back even stronger at the upcoming events.”

Hülkenberg absent from the grid

It was a very disappointing outcome, however, for Nico Hülkenberg. While Oscar Piastri also failed to take part in his home Grand Prix after an incident on the formation lap, the German driver remained in the garage due to a technical problem that prevented him from lining up on the starting grid.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to race today,” he explained. “We had a technical issue while preparing for the starting grid and we couldn’t resolve it in time for the start. The team is currently investigating to understand exactly what happened.

It’s obviously frustrating to miss the race and the opportunity to learn more. That said, it’s positive to see the team finish in the points thanks to Gabi, which is a great result and a great way to start Audi’s Formula 1 era. The races come quickly one after another, so we reset and go again next week.”

Gabriel Bortoleto’s historic P9 finish has officially put Audi on the Formula 1 map, proving that the German manufacturer has managed to navigate the complex 2026 power unit regulations more successfully than many anticipated. While Nico Hülkenberg’s grid failure serves as a reminder of the teething problems inherent in a new project, Audi’s ability to score points on their very first outing creates a strong foundation for the development race that will now accelerate as the season heads to Shanghai.