After two consecutive finishes in the points, Audi is looking forward to the Hungarian Grand Prix and hopes to build on the momentum of recent weeks
“Back-to-back finishes in the points are the reward for the work,” said McNish, “that’s being done at all three locations. But they also motivate us to keep working hard.”
The racing director therefore views the race at the Hungaroring as another opportunity to build on this momentum. The well-known power unit deficit is also likely to cause significantly fewer problems at the “Monaco without guardrails” than on the Ardennes roller coaster at Spa-Francorchamps.
In direct wheel-to-wheel duels on the Kemmel Straight, Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto hardly stood a chance. Nevertheless, the R26 certainly impressed in terms of pace.
“We showed enough last weekend to demonstrate the potential [in the car],” explains Hülkenberg ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “Now the focus is on putting together a clean weekend.”
Once again, that was not possible for Hülkenberg in Belgium. While teammate Gabriel Bortoleto finished in the points, the more experienced of the two Audi drivers had already struggled with technical issues in qualifying. Starting from 13th on the grid made it difficult for Hülkenberg to place his R26 in the top 10 for the first time.
Bortoleto, on the other hand, started the Grand Prix from eighth position and finished the race in the same spot. This makes the 21-year-old the only Audi driver so far to have scored points for the team with the four rings. In the Constructors’ World Championship, Audi is now just a single point behind Williams.
“Scoring points in the last two races has given everyone a real boost,” said Bortoleto. “We want to build on that.”
After a rough patch in the first third of the season, Audi has recently been able to keep up with the pace of its midfield competitors. In qualifying at Spa, for example, Bortoleto managed to position himself ahead of Liam Lawson’s Racing Bull and the two Alpines.
Since the Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix, both Audi drivers have also benefited from an improved power unit. While the engine’s performance remains a weak point, the PU now offers significantly better drivability than it did at the start of the season.
