Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg took his third points finish in four races with a 10th place finish at the 2026 F1 Spanish GP. After the race the German was satisfied with the car, but thought that they could have made more of its pace.
“I think [there was] not much more in it today. Only if we start ahead and stay ahead at the start in lap 1, then I think we could have also finished P7. But obviously that wasn’t the case, so all things considered, not bad.”
Imperfect start, but perfect recovery in the pits
Starting 11th, he was passed by Esteban Ocon’s Haas, but regained the position upon Lewis Hamilton’s retirement.
However, when the VSC was deployed on lap 14 to clear Lance Stroll’s AMR26, he jumped the Frenchman in the pits as Audi delivered a stop that was 0.2s quicker. It moved him into a net P10, ultimately finishing there, just behind Arvid Lindblad.
“It was around turn 2. I started on the right side, so I was naturally outside turn 1 and then inside turn 2, and I got bunched up a bit, and Esteban had a wide run and no one in front, so he got me there, unfortunately. But yeah, I really closed up to him, braking into the pit stop, I was right under the gearbox. And then our pit crew outdid the others, so that was great work by them.”
Madring: “For racing… not so ideal”
Hülkenberg was in 12th for almost the rest of the race. Late pit stops by teammate Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly put him into the points. While he seemed to enjoy driving the new Madring circuit, the 39-year-old conceded that it did not make for great racing.
“I think just driving it yesterday, it was actually quite cool, fun, you know, very challenging, but really puts you in the limit. For racing, yeah, not so ideal.”
Hülkenberg, Audi chasing Alpine after F1 Spanish GP
Going forward, Hülkenberg sees Alpine as Audi’s immediate target on the grid. Franco Colapinto came in P7 following a really strong qualifying session and race at the Madring. Since the Enstone-based team brought upgrades to Zandvoort they have moved themselves right back to the front in the midfield battle.
“I think the Alpine was quite competitive here today. Also, if you see Pierre’s pace there, it was impressive. So yeah, we need a bit more.”
A bit more will be coming in the form of an upgrade for Audi at Baku, but Nico Hülkenberg doesn’t know that it will have a huge impact at first.
“Baku is always a specific circuit, it has its own laws, but I think that upgrade should bear even more fruits in Kuala Lumpur after, and then Singapore, and so on. But hopefully it will enhance our performance and give us a step and makes us that much more competitive.”
