Nico Hülkenberg had no luck again on race day in Miami and had to retire his R26 after just a few laps
Nico Hülkenberg had to end his race in Miami after just a few laps. According to Sky, gearbox issues likely forced the 38-year-old to call it a day early. An official statement from Audi regarding the malfunction is still pending.
When asked if the team had struggled with various problems this weekend, Hülkenberg replied: “I think so. Various reasons, various problems—all in all, a difficult weekend for us.“
”It was truly a character-building weekend. There were a few positive signs, and the car’s pace wasn’t bad, but obviously we need to finish sessions, qualifying rounds, and races—we need to get the cars on the track.”
A string of breakdowns at Audi
Hülkenberg had already had bad luck with his R26 on Friday. Eventually, his car started smoking during the formation lap for the sprint race.
In qualifying for the main race, he at least managed an eleventh-place finish, while teammate Gabriel Bortoleto emitted similar smoke signals during the cool-down lap due to technical issues. To make matters worse, the Brazilian was disqualified from the sprint race due to excessive intake pressure in the engine.
“The problem arose during the safety car phase, and the team brought me in,” Hülkenberg explains regarding his early exit.
“No matter how you look at it, it’s frustrating. You want to race, compete in the race, see the checkered flag. So no, there’s no sugarcoating it. It’s very frustrating, but we have to focus on our own stuff now.”
Bortoleto was able to finish Sunday’s race, but the 21-year-old had to settle for twelfth place. Unless there are disqualifications or significant time penalties, Audi will have to leave the street circuit around Hard Rock Stadium without any points.
So far, the team has only two points to its name. Hülkenberg secured these with a ninth-place finish at the season opener in Melbourne.
Audi has not disclosed much information about the technical problems in Miami. Bortoleto and Hülkenberg have also been very sparing with specific statements regarding the causes of their technical issues. Meanwhile, the team’s problems have been mounting since the start of the season.
