The Canadian Formula 1 GP was frustrating for Audi, which used a strategy that did not work in Montreal. The team bet on intermediate tires for the start, but saw the track dry quickly and finished outside the points zone with Nico Hulkenberg in 12th and Gabriel Bortoleto in 13th.
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The choice of compounds ended up defining the course of the race for the two drivers. According to Allan McNish, Audi’s competition director, the decision seemed balanced at that moment, but the delay at the start completely changed the scenario: “We opted for intermediate tires based on the information available at the time, but looking back it was clear that it was not the ideal strategy,” he said.
McNish highlighted that the recovery became very complicated after the first laps: “From there it was difficult to recover positions and we ended up 12th and 13th. Still, we left Montreal feeling that we took a step forward compared to Miami, mainly in consistency and execution throughout the weekend,” added the director.
Hulkenberg assessed that the race was challenging from the start because of the rapid changes in track conditions: “The conditions evolved differently than we expected. It was a risk worth taking with what we knew at that moment, but the early phase of the race did not play in our favor,” commented the German.
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The experienced driver also admitted that there was a lack of pace for Audi to react during the race: “Even after that, we didn’t have enough speed to recover as we wanted. Other cars around us managed to advance more quickly, so there are things we need to understand and improve,” he said.
Bortoleto also regretted the result after believing that the team could have fought for points in a more favorable scenario: “We started with intermediates because we felt it could work, but the rain stopped quickly and that put us at a disadvantage. The extra stop took us out of the fight,” explained the Brazilian.
Despite the frustration, Bortoleto emphasized that the team managed to complete the race with both cars and collect important information for the next stages: “With a clean weekend and a more straightforward race, I think points were possible today. But sometimes races are like that. Now the focus shifts to Monaco,” he concluded.
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