Back in the points

In front of the biggest crowd ever to attend a British Grand Prix, Audi Revolut F1 Team was back into the points for the first time since the opening round of the championship in Melbourne with Gabriel Bortoleto finishing in eighth position. The result was the culmination of weeks of fine tuning that has seen both Audi R26 cars producing solid mid-field performances, only narrowly missing out on points in recent Grand Prix and producing some strong qualifying runs.

It was another weekend of high drama right across the paddock that saw some of the top teams struggling for pace around the Silverstone circuit, and while it was anything but clear sailing for the Audi Revolut F1 Team, the result showed real improvement and the potential of the car.

“Overall, it’s been a very rewarding race day for the team here at Silverstone,” Racing Director, Allan McNish, said of the result.

“Scoring our first points since Melbourne is a significant milestone and a reflection of the hard work, patience and determination everyone has shown over a long period of time. We believed that if we kept executing well and continued to develop, the result would come, and today it did.”

After a less than ideal start, Bortoleto had to fight his way through the field to secure the top eight finish and bank the points for the team, but his spirited drive put his talent and determination on show.

“Gabi recovered brilliantly after losing positions at the start, fighting back strongly to finish eighth. It was a composed and determined drive, and a result that everyone at the factory and trackside can be proud of, McNish said.

Unfortunately a DNF for Nico Hulkenberg was not the result the German driver was looking for, after strong performances in practice and qualifying through the weekend. Transmission trouble put him out of the race and unable to explore the impressive pace of the car fully.

“It was disappointing to lose Nico with a gearbox issue after what had been a promising weekend,” McNish said.

“That makes it something of a bittersweet afternoon as he also had great pace, but taking more points is an important step forward for the whole team. We’ll enjoy this moment, take the positives from the weekend, and immediately turn our attention to Spa-Francorchamps." 

Hulkenberg was philosophical after the race, obviously disappointed with his result, but nevertheless confident of what the team is capable of in future.

“In the race, I had to push early on in dirty air and had a small spin, which made tyre management difficult, and we then had a gearbox issue that ultimately forced us to retire.

“On the positive side, it’s great to see Gabi scoring points – that’s a really strong result for him and for the team, and it shows the potential we have when things come together.

Bortoleto was obviously pleased with the result and is likewise optimistic for more points to some.

“I’m really pleased with today's result: the team truly deserves it. We have been through a few races without scoring points, and that has been tough when you can see the potential in the car,” the Brazilian said. “Today, we finally showed why we’re here and what our true pace is.”

The Formula 1 Championship heads to Belgium in just under a fortnight for the running of the Belgium Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps (July 17-19) where the Audi Revolut F1 Team will be looking to build on this most recent success.