Former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley has praised Audi’s current development in Formula 1: He said the engine department in Germany is “unsurpassed”
Audi has gotten off to a solid start in Formula 1: Although the first races of the season didn’t always go as planned, Nico Hülkenberg and his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto are now regularly finishing in the points—and are already within reach of seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship.
As a reminder: Last year, the Sauber team—from which the Audi team emerged—finished in second-to-last place. “Sauber—I mean, they were pretty desperate over the last two or three years,” says former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley on the High Performance Racing podcast.
“They were just miserable—there’s no other way to put it.” Although Audi already had a foot in the door at Sauber last season, it’s only this year that the full potential of the Ingolstadt-based company’s takeover is becoming apparent.
“They’ve always had—or at least for a long time—a very good wind tunnel,” adds Smedley, referring to the Sauber team. “But if you look at their facility in Germany now—the engine plant, the powertrain center—it’s second to none; and they’re still expanding it there.”
“There are plans for further development”
“So it’s a massive project for them,” says the former Formula 1 engineer. “The Hinwil site may leave a little to be desired as a Formula 1 facility. But they’re expanding it, and there are plans for further development. So it’s a really important project for them.”
Further progress is likely in the future as well: Nico Hülkenberg finished eighth at the Dutch Grand Prix, achieving his best result of the season. At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Audi could now score points for the fifth time in a row.
