Audi has recognized that it faces a major problem in the 2026 Formula 1 season, and admitted that there is no quick fix in sight. The German team has been suffering from poor starts and indicated that the problem is expected to continue affecting its performance in the short term.
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This situation became evident again at the Japanese GP, when Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto lost positions right after the start. While Ferrari has stood out with the best starts on the grid in 2026, Audi has shown some of the worst performances in this regard.
Bortoleto commented on the difficulties faced by the team and admitted that the start remains a critical point: “The start was not good, it’s something we know we need to work on as a team. Both Nico and I lost many positions and then we had some problems during the race, and I couldn’t do much,” the Brazilian stated.
The young driver also highlighted that the procedure does not differ much from competitors, but that some teams have evolved more in this aspect: “The procedure is very similar to everyone’s. I think there are teams that have developed the car in a different way to have better starts. It has been terrible so far. We know it’s difficult for us and we need to improve on this.”
Even with a forced five-week break in the F1 calendar in April, Bortoleto does not see an immediate solution: “We can improve a little, but not in the short term to reach the Ferraris. I think it will also be very difficult with Mercedes. We are still going to suffer a bit,” he added.
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The team’s interim boss, Mattia Binotto, also recognized the problem and admitted that the issue is not simple to solve: “It was a bad start, and it’s not the first time, so it’s certainly not our strength. At the moment, the reason we haven’t solved it yet is because it’s not something obvious to fix,” he stated.
In addition to the starts, Audi also recognizes that its power unit still needs to evolve. Binotto explained that most of the gap to the leading teams comes precisely from the engine, something that was already expected since the beginning of the project: “We estimate that a large part of the gap to the top teams comes from the power unit, which is not unexpected. We knew it would be the biggest challenge.”
Even so, the executive made it clear that progress will take time and dismissed any expectation of an immediate solution: “We are very ambitious and would like to see things resolved in a few races, but sometimes that is not the case. Miracles are not possible. We are not here to create miracles, but to have proper plans to improve in the future,” the Italian executive concluded.
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