Gabriel Bortoleto was one of the main highlights this Thursday in Formula 1 by admitting, in an exclusive interview with F1MANIA.NET, that he expected a more difficult season for Audi. The day also brought news about Rafael Câmara and Cadillac, praise from Max Verstappen and Lando Norris for Kimi Antonelli, and new discussions about the future of the four-time world champion.
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Bortoleto stated that Audi entered 2026 trying to manage expectations, but managed to score points, advance to Q3, and show competitiveness already in its first year. The Brazilian highlighted the work of the engineers to solve problems and mentioned starts as an area where the team still struggles, despite the progress. “Honestly, I expected our first year to be more difficult than it is,” he said. After 11 rounds, Audi scored points in four, three of them with Bortoleto.
Another Brazilian in the spotlight was Rafael Câmara. Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss denied that the team is currently evaluating the Formula 2 driver for 2027, calling the rumors unfounded at this time. At the same time, he avoided completely closing the door: “It’s Formula 1, and things can always change.” Câmara is in third place in F2 after two wins and four poles in the last six qualifying sessions.
In the fight for the title, Antonelli received praise from two world champions. Norris and Verstappen pointed to the Italian as the big highlight of the first half of the championship, a period in which the Mercedes driver achieved six wins and nine podiums in 11 rounds. Norris especially highlighted Antonelli’s consistency and the advantage built over George Russell.
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Ferrari also drew attention for the balance between its drivers. Leclerc has beaten Hamilton 6 to 5 in qualifying so far, but the average difference between the two is only 0.050 seconds, the smallest among the grid pairs. In Belgium, for example, only 0.002 seconds separated the two in Q3.
Verstappen’s future remains open. Guenther Steiner assessed that staying at Red Bull may end up being the most logical alternative, since Ferrari and Mercedes have their pairs set and few teams would represent a clear step forward for the Dutchman. The former Haas boss, however, acknowledged that McLaren’s recent progress could change this analysis.
At McLaren itself, Andrea Stella stated that the transition between the development of the current car and the 2027 project will be simpler than what happened in preparation for 2026. The team believes that the learnings from the MCL40 can be leveraged in the next model, while continuing to manage the budget cap, wind tunnel, and simulation resources.
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