Rodrigo França analyzes Gabriel Bortoleto’s performance at the 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix. Even with the same driver lineup from Sauber’s 2025 season—Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg—and familiar management figures like team principal Mattia Binotto, Audi is taking its first steps in Formula 1 in 2026. Despite the challenges the team faces this season, Bortoleto remains confident that their issues will be resolved.
“We are a new engine manufacturer with only two cars. Some teams have eight cars running the same power unit (Mercedes). Imagine how much you can learn from that many cars. We only have me and Nico, and sometimes one of us doesn’t finish the race. We just need to be patient. Once everything is sorted, I’m sure it will be good,” the Brazilian driver said.
Bortoleto failed to score points at the last round in Miami, finishing 12th after a brake issue limited him to 21st in qualifying on Saturday. Earlier that day, he was disqualified from the sprint race due to a technical infringement—the air pressure in the Audi’s engine exceeded the limit—but since he finished only 11th, no points were lost.
As Bortoleto noted, Audi has struggled to complete races this year. Hulkenberg retired from the Miami Grand Prix with a transmission problem, after failing to start the sprint race at the Miami International Circuit. The German also suffered a mechanical failure in the China sprint and missed the season opener in Australia altogether. Similarly, Bortoleto was absent from the main race in China, and after a more stable weekend in Japan, his Miami qualifying was compromised when his brakes caught fire.
“Honestly, we had many issues over the weekend (in Miami), but none were the same. In my first weekend of the year, I had no problems; in the second, I had three. In the third, nothing again. This will continue until everyone adapts to the new regulations. Things like this will happen,” Bortoleto added.
Aiming for improvement, Audi recently hired former F1 driver and Le Mans 24 Hours winner Allan McNish as race director. The Scot acknowledged the team’s reliability shortcomings but stressed that fixing them is the top priority.
“We need reliability before we can develop in other areas. We have room to improve. Obviously, the most frustrating thing is not having both cars on the grid. That’s undoubtedly the area we’re focusing on first. But if you look around, many power unit manufacturers are also facing difficulties. It’s not just us. I’d say the basic chassis performance is very good. If he (Bortoleto) had started normally, around 11th, he would have finished in the points. The same for Nico,” McNish said.
Former Formula E champion and McNish’s former teammate Lucas di Grassi praised the Scot’s appointment, saying he will bring valuable experience.
Current championship standings: Audi sits in ninth place.