Audi ended the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season with reasons to celebrate. Nico Hulkenberg finished the Hungarian GP in ninth position and secured his first points of the year, while Gabriel Bortoleto crossed the finish line in 11th, less than a second from the points zone.
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The result marked the team’s third consecutive race scoring points in the championship, all scored by Bortoleto so far, in addition to reinforcing the evolution shown in recent rounds. According to Allan McNish, Audi’s competition director, the performance in Budapest was another indication of the progress being made throughout the season.
“Scoring points for the third consecutive race is another positive step for us as a team. Nico did an excellent job throughout the weekend and turned a strong performance into a ninth-place finish. Gabriel fought until the end and was very close to giving us a double points finish,” McNish stated.
The director also highlighted the car’s competitiveness and the execution of the race: “The pace was competitive, and we had a clean race to maximize the available opportunities. We go into the break encouraged by the progress we are making and the way the team continues to develop,” he said.
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Hulkenberg celebrated finally opening his points tally in 2026: “It’s a great feeling to get these first points of the season. There have been a few races this year where we had the pace to score points, but for different reasons, things didn’t happen. We always knew the potential was there,” commented the German.
Bortoleto, in turn, highlighted the difficulty of the one-stop strategy and the challenge of managing the hard tires: “I gave it my all today, and it definitely wasn’t an easy race. We finished less than a second behind Arvid (Lindblad), so getting so close to the points feels like a good result for the race we had,” he continued.
The Brazilian also praised the team’s work and expressed confidence for the rest of the championship: “These are very positive signs before the break. The team has been doing an incredible job, and I hope we can maintain this momentum in the second half of the year,” he added.
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