Audi has started off on the right foot in Formula 1 and in the 2026 season, it has already managed to score 12 points in the first 11 races contested, a performance that surprised race director Allan McNish.
“I am happy. The fact that we have evolved so much as a team, since I started getting directly involved, I can see the growth in the people, in their confidence,” he said in Hungary.
At the beginning of the year, Jonathan Wheatley surprised by announcing his departure from the role of team principal. Technical chief of the project, Mattia Binotto temporarily took command until McNish was appointed race director, but accumulating the roles.
“I think we are functioning as a team, and today was a tough race [in Hungary] for different reasons, but the way we executed, I think it went well. In terms of car performance, I think we are better than expected in qualifying. I did not expect us to be fast and consistently fast.”
“We were able to handle that well. But we still need to take a step forward in this area,” he added.
In its first year in F1, Audi has been quite competitive in the midfield pack. Between Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg, they have five appearances in Q3, as well as finishing four times inside the points zone.
Now, in the Constructors’ Championship, it is in eighth place ahead of Williams, Aston Martin, and Cadillac, and nine points behind Haas, in seventh place.
