Nico Hülkenberg was again unable to score points for Audi at the Belgian Grand Prix, while his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto added three more points to his tally
The Belgian Grand Prix was another race of mixed emotions for Audi. While Gabriel Bortoleto scored points for the team for the second time in a row, teammate Nico Hülkenberg once again came away empty-handed after technical problems on Saturday. Bortoleto finished eighth, Hülkenberg in 13th place.
For the more experienced of the two Audi drivers, the early stages of the race in the midfield were already extremely chaotic. “With the different energy strategies, wild things are happening [this year],” Hülkenberg explained to Sky Sport F1 after the race.
According to his own account, the 38-year-old had a close call with Oliver Bearman’s Haas in Turn 11. Bearman, as described by the Audi driver, nearly came to a stop. “You just have to maneuver around it and make the best of it.”
Hülkenberg had started the race from 12th position. But after hydraulic problems in qualifying, the Audi driver’s optimism heading into the Grand Prix was limited. On race Sunday, top speed in one-on-one battles was a particular problem for Hülkenberg.
“We always lose two or three car lengths there,” he explained to Sky Sport F1. “And in the end, those just aren’t there. So that’s kind of the problem. If we’re ahead, we can pull away. But if we’re behind or our rivals are right behind us, then things get tight.”
Compared to Hülkenberg, Bortoleto had already secured a decisive advantage before the start. After all, the 21-year-old was able to start the Grand Prix from eighth on the grid.
In the chaotic opening stages, Bortoleto lost a position to Franco Colapinto, while Hülkenberg was in 13th place behind Alexander Albon. Both Audi drivers had started the race on the Ardennes roller coaster on medium tires.
During the first stint, Bortoleto dropped back to eleventh place, meaning the two Audi drivers were temporarily right behind each other. Both took advantage of the virtual safety car on lap 21 to switch to hard tires. The timing worked out a little better for Bortoleto, as he had made his pit stop right at the end of the virtual safety car phase. Consequently, the 21-year-old was thrilled after the race:
“We extended the first stint, got the virtual safety car, and then we were on our own, had a clear track, and were able to set really good lap times out there,” said Bortoleto after the Grand Prix. According to the Audi driver, they didn’t stand a chance against the Alpines and Racing Bulls due to their lack of top speed.
After the pit stops, Bortoleto and Hülkenberg were in eighth and eleventh place, respectively. While last year’s rookie was able to benefit from the clear track, Hülkenberg was gradually caught by the two Alpine drivers. Within a few laps, the Audi driver fell back to 13th place and once again finished the race outside the points.
For Bortoleto, this is his third race finish in the points, following Australia and Great Britain. In the Drivers’ World Championship, he is in 14th place with ten championship points after the Belgian Grand Prix. In the Constructors’ World Championship, Audi remains in ninth place. It is just one championship point behind the eighth-placed Williams team.