Nico Hülkenberg believes Audi’s first half of the 2026 F1 season has been “pretty positive and quite encouraging”, despite admitting the team still has work to do after a troubled start on his side of the garage.
Audi reached the summer break with signs of progress in its first season under the new F1 regulations. The team has shown enough pace to fight in the midfield, but its opening half has also exposed the areas that still need strengthening as it continues to build towards the future.
Speaking to the media after the 2026 F1 Hungarian GP, Hülkenberg was asked to rate his own season with Audi so far. The German did not give a number, but he gave a measured assessment of both his performance and Audi’s current position.
“It’s been tough,” he admitted.
“I think we’ve had performance.
“The speed is there to fight within the midfield, of course. We’re usually there with the Racing Bulls, with the Alpines.
“Sometimes they’re a bit ahead, sometimes we’re a bit ahead.”
Hülkenberg admits Audi still has fragile areas
While Hülkenberg pointed to Audi’s midfield pace as an encouraging sign, he also admitted the team has not yet put everything together cleanly.
The 38-year-old said the first half had been challenging, especially on his side of the garage, and suggested Audi still needs to make some departments more robust for the rest of the 2026 F1 season.
“Of course it’s been a bit troubled, especially I think on my side of the garage,” he stated.
“I think we realise we’re still a bit fragile in some of the departments there.
“The team is obviously focused on that, pushing on that to make everything more robust there.”
That fragility has been one of the key themes of Audi’s first half of the 2026 F1 season. The pace has been there often enough to fight around the edge of the points, but execution, reliability and consistency remain just as important for a young team trying to establish itself in F1.
Still, Hülkenberg remained broadly positive about the project.
“But all in all I think it’s been pretty positive and quite encouraging where we are already as a young team.”
Audi development continues ahead of 2027
Hülkenberg was also asked whether any major change was expected to the Audi car for next year.
His answer pointed to a busy development period ahead, both on the chassis side and with Audi’s power unit as the team continues to adapt to F1’s new technical era.
“Well of course.
“A lot of developments are going on between now and then. I think especially also on the power unit side.
“And on top of that things are changing anyway, as we know from the FIA side.
“A lot will happen.”
Hülkenberg learning under new F1 regulations
The 2026 regulations have also required the drivers to adapt. Hülkenberg explained that the new generation of F1 cars has forced him to learn constantly across the first six months of the 2026 season with Audi, especially with the increased importance of energy management.
“I learned a lot,” he said.
“Many things.
“How this generation of regulations is slightly different. The energy management is a big topic, which we didn’t have before to this extent.”
The German said the learning process has continued every time he has driven the car, with each session offering new information.
“So it’s normal that you start and every lap you drive, every session you drive, you adjust, you test something, you get results, you get feedback, you tweak again.
“And it’s a constant work in progress situation,” he explained.
Hülkenberg also noted that preparation tools cannot fully replicate the reality of each circuit.
“And then again every circuit is different.
“We obviously have all these tools like simulator which prepare us, but in real life sometimes it’s still a bit different.
“So yeah, just learning how to get the most out of this kind of regulation in this kind of car.”
Adaptation key for all drivers
Asked whether the new regulations made life harder for older drivers, Hülkenberg dismissed the idea.
“No, I don’t think so.
“I think it doesn’t matter, young or old.
“I think it’s just a matter of being open, being able to adapt and adjust to the conditions and circumstances.”
That mindset has helped Nico Hülkenberg remain a valuable reference point for Audi during its first year under the 2026 rules. His experience gives the team feedback, but his comments also showed that experience alone is not enough. Under a new regulation cycle, every driver has had to learn, adjust and refine their approach.
For Audi, the first half of 2026 has not been perfect. Hülkenberg admitted the team still has fragile areas to fix, and his own side of the garage has endured a difficult run at times. However, the underlying pace has given him reason to believe the project is moving in the right direction.
