The Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix was not one of the most competitive for Audi, but even so, the team felt encouraged after the weekend. Despite Gabriel Bortoleto’s 12th place and Nico Hülkenberg’s retirement, the team had a positive internal assessment of the performance.
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In the analysis of the trip to the USA, the main point highlighted was the race pace shown by the R26, especially because the German team was one of the only ones on the grid not to bring a single update to the event. But despite that, Allan McNish, sporting director, revealed that an important package of updates is planned for the Canadian GP, the next stop on the calendar.
According to the Scot, the car’s performance in Miami exceeded expectations, especially given the problems faced by Hülkenberg throughout the weekend. McNish particularly highlighted the German’s performance in qualifying.
“Speaking about Nico, I must say that what he did on Saturday, with a technical problem before qualifying and managing to get the car so close to Q3, was really impressive. It shows his experience and driving skill,” he said.
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McNish also emphasized that the trend is for greater balance among the teams as the championship progresses, which makes the constant development of the car even more important.
“We know that when a new regulation starts, the differences between teams tend to be greater, but then decrease. Williams, for example, improved their race pace a lot in this GP. It will get increasingly difficult, so we hope the updates bring improvements in different areas of the car,” he added.
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