Two weeks after a self-destructive strategy call in Montreal, Audi arrived in Monaco eager to secure constructors’ championship points, which have eluded the German manufacturer since the season opener in Melbourne. In Australia, Gabriel Bortoleto crossed the line in ninth place, but neither he nor Nico Hülkenberg had managed to break back into the top 10 since then.
At the end of an grueling race in the Principality, it briefly looked as though Hülkenberg had successfully brought the Four Rings back into the points by securing ninth position. However, immediately after the red flag period, the German was handed a ten-second time penalty for a collision with Carlos Sainz at the Loews hairpin, erasing any chance of a top-10 finish.
“It’s a disappointing way to end the weekend,” commented Hülkenberg, who was officially demoted to 13th. “For a while, it felt like we were closing in on the points, but the penalty put an end to it all. After the restart, with only a few laps left, it was inevitable that things would get pretty intense. I had to react to avoid the car ahead and moved to the inside, but once I was there, I was at full lock and really had no other option. Carlos was on the outside and we made contact. It’s frustrating because the pace we showed earlier in the weekend was encouraging, but unfortunately, we couldn’t convert it into a result.”
The post-race penalty allowed several drivers to gain positions in the final classification, including Bortoleto. Forced to start from the pit lane due to a pre-race technical issue, the Brazilian driver fought back to finish just outside the points in 11th place.
“My race was effectively compromised before it even started,” Gabriel Bortoleto explained. “I had an issue while preparing for the practice starts and the car anti-stalled. The team did a great job to get it restarted, but I had to start from the pit lane, and in Monaco, that makes things very difficult. Once you’re stuck in traffic, opportunities are extremely limited, and I spent most of the race unable to make up ground. It was disappointing and added to the frustration from qualifying. On the positive side, we showed good pace and a strong package throughout the weekend. I think the team did a great job overall this weekend and deserved a lot more. The fact that both cars reached the finish line is positive, and the crew did an excellent job overnight to repair the qualifying damage and get my car ready for the race. There are lessons to learn, but I’m encouraged by what we achieved as a team and the progress we continue to make.”
In summary, Audi’s hopes of scoring their first Formula 1 points since Melbourne were dashed in Monaco after Nico Hülkenberg received a decisive ten-second penalty for colliding with Carlos Sainz, overshadowing a resilient recovery drive from Gabriel Bortoleto.
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