Points Were Possible, but Reliability and Bad Luck Had Other Plans for the Audi Revolut F1 Team in Miami

[Source: Audi Revolut F1 Team]

With a Sprint race and a Grand Prix, the Audi Revolut F1 Team had multiple opportunities for points in Miami. And with solid qualifying efforts, it looked like at least a couple of points were within reach. However, multiple technical issues, a disqualification and some bad luck conspired to keep Audi off the board.

It started on Friday with Nico Hülkenberg qualifying 12th for the Sprint race and Gabriel Bortoleto doing even better by securing the 11th spot on the grid. Unfortunately, things would go downhill from there. Hülkenberg was unable to start the Sprint race on Saturday due to a technical issue. Bortoleto finished the race in the same position that he qualified, however a technical infringement resulted in him being disqualified from the results.

Miami Grand Prix

The team had to quickly put that behind them as they focused on qualifying for the Grand Prix. Hülkenberg managed to secure a strong P11 starting position. Unfortunately, it was Bortoleto’s turn to suffer from reliability issues with gearbox and brake problems. The result was a disappointing P22 qualifying position.

Bortoleto was going to have a tough time working through the grid but hopes were high that Hülkenberg could manage to squeak into the points. However, some first lap chaos resulted in a damaged front wing for the number 27 car. That resulted in an early pit stop that put him at the back of the pack. A few laps later another technical issue forced him to retire.

Bortoleto had an impressive Sunday drive and managed to work his way up to P12 by the end of the race. It was a solid result given where he started, but sadly it was still outside the points. Bortoleto is the only Audi driver to score any points this season and that was back in the opening race in Australia.

In two weeks, the F1 circus moves on to Canada. The Audi Revolut F1 Team has shown that they have the pace to mix it up with the middle of the field and they are a threat to score points each race. Sadly, that potential has remained just that, potential. The results are just not coming yet. “Our priority now is to ensure we consistently convert that potential into results. We will take the learnings from this weekend, reset over the break, and come back ready to maximize the opportunity in Montreal,” said Allan McNish, Racing Director.

We all knew that the first year in F1 was going to be a challenge for Audi. So, these early results are not totally unexpected. However, it is a shame to see the team so close only to be tripped up by technical issues. Hopefully they can get those sorted and start stacking points beginning in round five at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.