Nico Hülkenberg had a difficult start to his first full day of F1 testing in 2026, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya shakedown. The German suffered a car issue, forcing him to stop on track. Hülkenberg was able to return to the track in the early hours of the afternoon to continue gathering valuable data for Audi.
Hülkenberg positive after a tricky start to the day for Audi
Nico Hülkenberg was able to get a good amount of laps in during day three of the 2026 F1 Barcelona shakedown even though the team had a slow start to the day. Hülkenberg triggered the first red flag of the session after the car stopped on track. He noted that despite this, the team had a productive afternoon and will be able to work from their learnings going forward.
“Slow start today for us. But then we got a grip on everything and had a very productive, good afternoon.
“Decent amount of laps in. A few things discovered and tested so obviously the first few impressions collected and we’ll work from here.”
Audi also had a difficult time during the first day of testing in Barcelona. Gabriel Bortleto’s session ended early when the young Brazilian came to a stop after the team discovered a few issues with the car.
Nico Hülkenberg discusses getting familar with the new 2026 F1 car in Barcelona shakedown
The 2026 F1 season introduces new regulations to the sport, so every driver needs to learn and adapt to the new characteristics of the cars.
Hülkenberg discussed how the learning process is going and how exciting it is to discover the new parts of the car after his first day of testing in Barcelona.
“Yeah, just at the beginning, obviously there’s so many things to explore and to discover.
“I think it’s hard to understand for outside racing people how different these machines are. It’s really a white piece of paper. So, so much to discover, so much to learn about them but that’s the great thing with new cars. And enjoying being part of that process.”
“It’s early days but everyone is happy” — Hülkenberg on the mood within the team
2026 is Audi’s maiden season in Formula 1 after transitioning from Sauber. The team kept the 2025 Sauber line up with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
When asked during day 3 of testing in Barcelona about the feeling within the team, Hülkenberg was very positive, explaining that while it is very early, they are excited for the 2026 F1 season and that there is a long process ahead of them towards the first few races.
“Well, it’s good. Obviously, it’s early days. But everyone is happy. We are finally getting to run again, to learn about it. It’s going to be a long way, a long road from here to Bahrain and obviously to the first couple of races.
“But I think everyone is very happy and very positive and excited for the season ahead!”
