Despite minor defects, Audi drives straight into Q3 on its qualifying debut in Melbourne – its performance causes astonishment in the paddock
A new factory team, a completely new power unit: Of course, Audi didn’t start completely from scratch with its motorsport expertise and Sauber roots. Nevertheless, as a newly formed team with its own engine, advancing directly to Q3 in its first qualifying session in Melbourne is at least a stable result.
And even though minor technical problems ultimately prevented an even bigger exclamation mark, Audi made a decent impression. The competition in the paddock sees it similarly.
As Nico Hülkenberg already hinted after qualifying: The basis of the new car is right. Team boss Jonathan Wheatley is proud of the result: “It was an enormously encouraging session for us. The fact that Gabi [Gabriel Bortoleto] reached Q3 in his very first race for Audi is a special moment for everyone involved.“
Alpine left behind
Although he grudgingly admits to defects in both cars, he sees the big picture: ”Overall, it’s a very positive start. It’s a strong testament to the hard work of the many talented people in the team.” Bortoleto had to park his car in the pit lane entrance after Q2. Hülkenberg is also said to have struggled with a minor technical problem.
The incredulous looks on the faces of the competition show just how impressive this debut really is. At Alpine, Pierre Gasly pays sincere respect to the Ingolstadt-based team: “Coming in with a completely new engine and immediately having a car in Q3, even though Gabi couldn’t drive at the end, is quite an impressive achievement.”
Franco Colapinto, who had actually hoped to make it into the top 10 after the test drives in Bahrain, also seems almost disillusioned in view of the new pecking order. He openly admits: “Competitors such as the Racing Bulls and Audi are incredibly strong – we had absolutely no idea that they would be so far ahead.”
Bortoleto already sees a “rosy future”
Bortoleto himself appears extremely focused after the session. While the paddock is eagerly speculating about whether Audi is overperforming or others are simply underperforming, the Brazilian stubbornly looks at his own pit. “We are the only team with our drive. The only data we have from the entire tests is from our own car,” says the Brazilian, emphasizing the extremely steep learning curve without customer team references.
Competing from a standing start with established manufacturing giants such as Ferrari, Mercedes, or Red Bull is anything but an easy job. Bortoleto therefore remains hungry: “If we can start like this, even though so many things obviously need to be improved, I see a very bright future for this team.”
The announcement is clear. If Audi can ride the initial wave of euphoria and quickly get the aforementioned teething problems with reliability under control, the factory team project could become a thorn in the side of the F1 establishment much sooner than many had expected before this weekend – especially in the 2026 midfield.
