– Audi has taken a big gulp from the points bottle in recent weeks: In both Silverstone and Belgium, Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto raced across the finish line in eighth place, collecting a total of eight World Championship points for the Ingolstadt-based team.
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Previously, the two points from the season opener in Australia were the only tangible result for Audi. But now, suddenly, they are only one point behind Williams and eleven points behind Haas, and both teams have been without points for four races now. Are the Ingolstadt-based team perhaps already eyeing seventh place in the Constructors’ World Championship?
“I’m not looking at the championship, but at the next race,” says the responsible Audi race director Allan McNish soberly. “If we continue to develop and score a few more points, the rest will come naturally. We’ve definitely had a series of good races recently.”
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“But I assume that the competition will strike back,” warns the Scot against premature hopes. “I expect them to come with upgrades as well. That’s why I prefer not to look too far ahead. I’ve learned over the years: if you look too far into the future, you miss what’s right in front of you.”
“Clean performance”: Allan McNish praises Gabriel Bortoleto
Praise goes primarily to Bortoleto, who successfully defended against Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls in Belgium. “I think Gabi undoubtedly handled this pressure very well,” praises McNish, even though the lead over the rookie was “consistently about two and a half to three seconds.”
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“But he showed a truly confident and clean performance until the end of the race,” adds the Audi official. Teammate Nico Hülkenberg, on the other hand, again came away empty-handed on the Ardennes rollercoaster, finishing only 13th.
“It was only due to traffic. It was solely due to traffic,” McNish emphasizes, stating that the German was not simply too slow. “In terms of performance and lap times, when both were in a comparable position, Nico’s pace was just as high as Gasly’s.”
The Audi driver had already struggled with technical problems on Saturday and therefore only started the race from twelfth place. After his pit stop, Hülkenberg returned to the track just ahead of Gasly’s Alpine, but behind the Racing Bulls. This ultimately cost the German a better result.
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