Nico Hülkenberg delivered another strong qualifying performance for Audi F1 in the 2026 Barcelona GP, securing ninth on the grid after navigating a challenging session and matching the team’s best qualifying result of the season.
After reaching Q3 despite an early setback, Hülkenberg told print media that a gust of wind during his opening Q1 run had significantly complicated his afternoon. The incident resulted in his lap time being deleted and forced him to use an additional set of tyres to progress through the opening segment, leaving him with fewer options later in qualifying.
“Yeah, unfortunately. Also, my engineer tells me that I had a big gust of wind in Turn 3, which sent me sideways,” he explained. “It’s crazy how immediately the surface temps go up. From the next corner, you’re just vulnerable and a bit of a passenger. The grip immediately drops. It’s just so sensitive to overheating the tyres. So, that was not great.”
The incident resulted in his lap time being deleted, meaning he needed a second set of tyres to safely progress into Q2.
“I would have loved to make it through with one lap. It would have made life much easier in Q2. But, yeah, I made it stick when I needed it.”
Confidence for Hülkenberg heading into the Grand Prix
Despite the setback early in the F1 Barcelona Qualifying session, Hülkenberg remained encouraged by Audi’s pace around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a venue that traditionally rewards well-balanced cars capable of managing tyre degradation.
“Yeah, I think it’s good. I mean, the weekend is not over. This is obviously the qualifying part. But I feel we should be competitive in the race tomorrow. Usually, our long-run pace and degradation numbers look pretty alright this year.”
With temperatures remaining high throughout the weekend, Hülkenberg expects Sunday’s Grand Prix to provide the clearest indication yet of where teams stand when it comes to tyre management.
“It’s obviously the first hot race of the season, so the first true test really for everyone in that sense. It’s going to be interesting.”
The German credited Audi’s overall package for its competitiveness in the tightly contested midfield battle.
“No, I think it’s the package. All around chassis, aero, PU. It’s all at a good, decent level to fight in the midfield, it looks like. But there’s still work and room for improvement in all those areas.”
Hülkenberg also highlighted progress made in their race starts as another key area that could prove crucial when the lights go out on Sunday.
“Yeah, we’ve made some good progress recently. So, I’m pretty confident there tomorrow.”
However, he expects tyre management to ultimately determine who comes away with the strongest result.
“Definitely, yeah, tyre management and degradation will play a big role. And whoever does a better job there, I suppose, will come out on top.”
