The Audi F1 Team gathered valuable information during Friday practice at the 2026 Australian GP, as Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto worked through the team’s programme at Albert Park.
Both drivers completed the practice sessions as the team continued to learn about the new challenger under the 2026 regulations, with engineers now set to analyse the data overnight ahead of qualifying.
Despite the inevitable challenges that come with the early phase of a new project, the team remained focused on bulding a solid baseline from which to develop the car thoughout the season.
Friday in Australia was a hugely encouraging start. While many times hit trouble, Audi looked solid and delivered good speed on circuit.
Bortoleto encouraged despite work ahead
Speaking after the sessions, Gabriel Bortoleto described the day as a positive starting point for the team, while acknowledging that significant work remains to be done.
“Positive, still a lot work to be done ahead fo us, a lot of basics to be fixed. FP1 was smooth, FP2 a little bit less, but quite happy,” he stated after finishing P9 and P14.
The Brazilian driver explained that the team is currently focusing on building a solid foundation rather than comparing its performance directly with others drivers so early in the championship.
The Brazilian also pointed to deployment issues linked to the power unit as one of the ares the team is currently working to refine.
“We are having a little bit of problems on the deployment, but this is settings, configurations and work that the power unit people will do, because they are very capable of doing it.”
Hülkenberg highlights progress as Audi begins new era at the 2026 Australian GP
The German driver had a solid start completing extensive, clean and productive practice sessions at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, finishing P10 in FP1 and P12 in FP2.
Hülkenberg highlighted the scale of information the team needs to go through overnight with their brand new car and engine.
Nonetheless, considering how Audi were expected to be towards the back in their first F1, practice suggests both cars could make it into Q2. They are certainly faster than Cadillac and the beleaguered Aston Martin.
“It’s our first time here with the new car, so there’s a lot of information to go through tonight. We’ll analyse everything and see what we can improve for tomorrow, but it’s a solid starting point.
“Overall, it was a decent first Friday of the season. It was mostly clean running, and we managed to get through a good number of laps, which is always important early in the weekend. There were a couple of small issues here and there that we need to tidy up, but that’s part of the process.”
