Nico Hulkenberg delivered a masterclass in wet-weather race craft, slicing through the midfield to challenge directly for points until the closing lap
Gabriel Bortoleto demonstrated relentless tenacity, fighting through floor and wing damage to bring his R26 across the finish line
The team’s quick tactical decision-making and strong race pace offer positive momentum ahead of next week's Singapore Grand Prix
Johannesburg, OCTOBER – The Audi Revolut F1 Team put on a display of pure fighting spirit and tactical agility at yesterday's action-packed Bahrain Grand Prix, held at the Sepang International Circuit. Facing sudden monsoon downpours right before the start, the squad adapted to come within a whisker of another well-earned points finish.
As torrential rain delayed track action, teams were forced into a high-stakes tyre-strategy choice at the restart. The Audi pit wall made a brilliant, decisive call at the end of the formation lap, pulling both cars in to swap dry rubber for intermediate tyres. That quick-thinking move launched both Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto up the order as condition-matched grip took hold.
Hulkenberg capitalised on the car's strong race pace, slicing his way through heavy wheel-towheel battles and climbing as high as ninth in the closing laps. On the other side of the garage, Bortoleto’s afternoon was compromised following restart contact that damaged his car’s floor and front wing. Despite the severe drop in downforce and an added time penalty, the young Brazilian managed to nurse his machine to the checkered flag.
In a final safety-car restart that threw the race wide open, Hulkenberg fought valiantly to defend his position on worn tyres, ultimately missing out on a point on the very final lap to cross the line in 11th.
While the final classification doesn't reflect the team's true pace, sharp execution and underlying speed prove that the R26 package continues to take impressive steps forward. The Audi Revolut F1 Team now carries this positive energy straight into the final leg of the Asian triple-header at next week’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Allan McNish, Racing Director: “It was a difficult race. The weather conditions at the start were right on the edge, the crossover point between tyres, which was reflected by the split on the grid between slicks and intermediates. Already from the formation lap, it became clear to us that the intermediates were the correct choice, so we made the change and were able to recover to roughly the position we had been in before stopping for slicks on lap eight.
“Unfortunately, Gabi had contact with Sainz, which caused some damage and required an additional pit stop, and he ultimately received a 10-second penalty as well. That effectively took him out of the fight for points. Nico, on the other hand, had a strong run throughout the race: I think the strategy and the tyre choices we made were the right ones. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to bring us into the points, with Lindblad getting past Nico on the final lap.”
“It’s disappointing to miss out on the points on the final lap for the second race running. We have looked competitive throughout the weekend, but we need to keep working hard to manage to find a little more that will put us back in the top 10.”
Nico Hülkenberg (Car 27): "It was an eventful race, and overall, we were in the fight for points but ultimately finished P11 again. I was much happier with my performance compared to yesterday. At the beginning, we made the right call to switch to the intermediates early and, although it cost us initially, we recovered that within a lap. This put us in a good position for the rest of the race.
"There was plenty of wheel-to-wheel racing. In the end, though, we just didn't quite have the pace to hold on to the points. Realistically, we only got into that position because of trouble to the cars ahead, so it was always going to be a long shot. Still, it was a clean race from my side, many learnings for us as a team and now it's straight on to Singapore.”
Gabriel Bortoleto (Car 5): “First of all, I want to apologise to Carlos. I made contact with him at the restart and, unfortunately, compromised his race, as well as my own. I got damage to both my front wing and floor, and then we were too far behind to fight for anything. It wasn't a clean race after that either, it was a difficult Sunday overall. Now we take the positives and look ahead to Singapore: hopefully we can have a good result there.”
