Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th at the Circuit of The Americas as Audi once again came agonizingly close to scoring points. It marks the third time in the last four races that the German driver has crossed the line in 11th place.
Midfield Battle and Starting Struggles
Audi remains competitive in the midfield, with an upgrade package introduced in Baku pushing them into the fight for points. However, they have scored in only one of the last four Grands Prix, courtesy of Hulkenberg finishing eighth in Singapore. Gabriel Bortoleto started the Austin race from the back of the grid after receiving numerous penalties for new power unit components, though he should have enough parts to finish the season without further penalties.
Hulkenberg lined up 11th on the grid but dropped positions immediately following a poor start. “You can’t call that a bad start, it went into anti-stall so yeah, that’s more than a bad start,” Hulkenberg stated according to Latest F1 News (formula1.com).
He described the incident as strange, noting that the anti-stall usually activates instantly rather than after traveling a few meters. He admitted he needed to review the data to understand the cause, though he confirmed it severely hindered their race.
Reliability and Race Pace
Audi has faced reliability issues with its power unit throughout the season. As the sole team utilizing the Audi power unit, they operate with considerably less data than competitors like Mercedes and Ferrari who supply customer squads. While reliability has improved since Hulkenberg’s last DNF at Silverstone, race starts continue to present difficulties.
Hulkenberg explained that despite the poor start, his race pace matched drivers like Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson. He noted that while a better start could have changed their finishing position, the team ultimately achieved what they could from that recovery.
Audi holds eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship, trailing Haas by seven points. Bortoleto completed his race in 13th position after starting last, expressing satisfaction with his clean overtaking maneuvers despite the difficulty of recovering from the rear.
Audi holds five 11th-place finishes this season, hindered by strong reliability and driver form from Racing Bulls ahead of them. The team evaluates their campaign positively overall, citing successful upgrade directions, a cohesive driver lineup, and resilience through the departure of Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley as a strong foundation for 2027.
