Audi’s nightmare Miami F1 weekend: ‘Every single problem was different’

Audi suffered a third consecutive point-less Formula 1 round at the Miami Grand Prix, amid numerous technical problems on both cars.

Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg qualified an encouraging 11th and 12th for the sprint, but the German failed to even start the race as his car caught fire due to a leak, while the Brazilian finished 11th but was disqualified over a spike in air pressure intake.

Audi changed both gearboxes as well as Hulkenberg’s power unit ahead of qualifying, with the veteran taking 11th while a brake problem consigned Bortoleto to 22nd.

Hulkenberg’s race lasted just seven laps after he collided with Carlos Sainz’ Williams in Turn 1 and subsequently suffered an unspecified “technical issue”, while his sophomore team-mate recovered to 12th – 13 seconds away from points.

These hardships occurred amid Formula 1’s technical overhaul and Audi’s debut as a power unit manufacturer, as the German brand takes over the Sauber outfit.

“I don't think we had a single issue that was similar,” Bortoleto commented. “We had many, if I'm very honest, this weekend. But we haven't had one that was the same. It's just that, you know, first weekend of the year for me, I had zero problems. And then you go to the second weekend, you have three. And then you go, and you have zero again. And it keeps going like this until everyone gets mature with the new regulations.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

“Things like this, they are going to happen. We are a new manufacturer of engines. We only have two cars. There are teams that are running eight cars with a power unit,” he added, referring to the Mercedes-powered cars. “So, imagine the amount of learning you can get by having that amount of cars, you know? We have only me and Nico, and sometimes one of us is not finishing the race. So, we just need to be patient. And when it is fixed, I'm sure it will be good.”

As far as Hulkenberg’s issue in the main race was concerned, racing director Allan McNish clarified that the drivetrain was “overheating” and that it likely was unrelated to any previous problems.

Hulkenberg’s sprint trouble – a leak the team wrongly believed it had fixed, McNish said – marked the third time this year an Audi failed to start a race, after unspecified technical issues sidelined him and Bortoleto at Albert Park and Shanghai respectively.

Asked if this was concerning, McNish replied: “Oh, not at all. It's not. But obviously that's not what we need. We need reliability. And then we can also start developing in other areas as well. We can improve. Clearly, the frustrating part is not having two cars at the start [in the sprint]. And especially with the performance that we – the underlying part of it. And that's certainly an area that's on clear focus, number one. And we need to work on that.”

Allan McNish, Racing Director of Audi F1 Team

The Scot was keen to point out his team was not the only one encountering trouble, though Audi is last in terms of race mileage so far this season, having completed 331 out of 524 possible laps due to the problems.

“Well, obviously, you don't want them, that's for sure. But if you look, a lot of PU manufacturers are having some issues. It's not just sitting on us,” McNish said, mentioning yet another poor start by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

“Certainly, we are learning about a lot more than some of the others, because they are already in the system with, you know, understanding 75% of it.

“Definitely, we need to tidy up those. There's no question about it. And it was obviously, it's not something that was performance-beneficial yesterday for Gabi. However, the penalty is in or out. That's the rules. However, I think, as you mentioned, we do have to improve on that. And that's a clear focus where we are. It's also clear learning for a new operation as well.”

The ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) mechanism may help Audi improve its power unit in the near future, with Period 1 now ending after the Canadian Grand Prix following the cancellation of both Middle Eastern rounds in April. Manufacturers that are between 2% and 4% down on the best engine’s power will then be allowed an additional upgrade, while those who are more than 4% down will get two.