Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto had a busy Thursday (16) on the tracks. The pair of drivers participated in a day of filming with Audi at the Monza Circuit in Italy to collect data during the forced Formula 1 break in April.
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Filming days are allowed by regulations and teams can run 200km using Pirelli demonstration tires. The main focus is to gather promotional content, but the German team took the opportunity to do some checks and also practice starts on the circuit.
Who drove in the morning at Monza was Nico Hülkenberg. The German completed 34 laps and practiced some starts, first at the pit exit, after the First Variante and then after the Ascari Variante.
Now in the afternoon, it is Bortoleto who takes the wheel of the R26. After the first three rounds of the 2026 season, the Brazilian is the only one who scored points for Audi by finishing ninth at the Australian GP.
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Formula 1 faces five weeks without a race after the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs. The calendar resumes with the Miami GP, scheduled to take place from May 1 to 3.
Footage of Audi doing a practice start today at Monza during the filming daypic.twitter.com/wnw6j8xHIB
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— Holiness (@F1BigData) April 16, 2026
