Audi Just Misses Points at Chinese Grand Prix

The Audi Revolut F1 Team failed to score any points during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. In the sprint race, Nicolas Hülkenberg failed to finish due to a technical issue and Gabriel Bortoleto finished well out of the points in P13. For the Grand Prix, Bortoleto could not start the race due to a technical issue and Hülkenberg just missed out on points with a P11 finish.

Formula 1 continues to show how cruel the sport can be, especially with a fresh set of technical regulations. In the Chinese Grand Prix, it was not just Bortoleto that failed to start the race, but both McLaren cars could not take the grid, neither could the Williams of Alexander Albon. Both Aston Martins failed to finish the race and 4-time World Champion Max Verstappen had to retire his Red Bull on lap 45. So, the Audi Revolut F1 Team was certainly not alone in their struggles.

The biggest highlight of the weekend for the Audi Revolut F1 Team actually came earlier in the day during the F1 Academy feature race. Emma Felbermayr delivered a standout performance, charging from P3 on the grid to take control of the race and secure a commanding victory. The young Austrian quickly fought her way into the lead and managed the race expertly, holding off sustained pressure to claim her first win of the season. Combined with her earlier podium finish in Race 1, Felbermayr’s impressive results place her at the top of the championship standings after the opening round.

“First of all, congratulations to Emma Felbermayr, who delivered a very confident and assured drive this weekend. After some excellent overtaking on Saturday, she followed it up with a fantastic victory today – her first win of 2026 and the first win for Audi in F1 Academy. Congratulations as well to Kimi Antonelli on a commanding performance to secure his first Grand Prix victory, which is a special moment for him.

On our side, it was unfortunately a difficult day for Gabi. I would like to apologize on behalf of the team for the issue that resulted in him being unable to start the race. It must be extremely disappointing for him, and it is something we need to understand quickly and address as a team.

Nico’s race was also challenging. We know that getting the car off the line is still an area we need to improve, and we lost several places at the start. From there, Nico drove a strong race and showed excellent pace and energy management. Unfortunately, a wheelgun failure resulted in a 16-second pitstop, which effectively took him out of contention for the points,” said Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal.

The next race will be in Japan in two weeks. Formula 1 has announced the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Grands Prix due to the Iran war. So, after Japan the teams will have a month off before what will now be round 4 in Miami in the first weekend of May.