Mixed weekend in Shanghai

It was almost a completely flipped script from Melbourne for the Audi Revolut F1 Team in Shanghai, with Gabriel Bortoleto sidelined with technical issues and Nico Hulkenberg taking to the track to fight for points.

After strong performances during practice and qualifying, the Shanghai race saw the two Audi Revolut F1 drivers effectively swap positions from the opening race in Melbourne, with technical issues this time putting an end to Bortoleto’s race just ahead of the race start meaning the Brazilian was unable to start the race.

This left it all up to Nico Hulkenberg, whose position 11 qualifying – the same as at Albert Park – putting him in a strong position to fight for points in Shanghai. In. What was another hectic race, the German was right in the thick of the action, initially dropping back a few places after the frenetic start, before fighting his way steadily through the field to climb into the top 10. In what was his first race of the 2026 season, Hulkenberg relished the chance to see what the Audi R26 could do in race conditions and though he ultimately finished just outside the points in position 11, the race provided invaluable data for the season ahead.

“It wasn’t the smoothest race, but the main thing for me was finally getting a full distance under the belt after missing Melbourne,” said a philosophical Hulkenberg after the race.

“These cars are still pretty new territory - especially with the energy management - so every lap is useful right now. There’s a lot to unpack from today. We’ll go through everything next week, tidy a few things up and go again in Japan.”

While the weekend yielded no additional points to build on the Melbourne opener, it did see Audi driver academy driver, Emma Felbermayr, storm across the line to open her own account in F1 Academy, claiming her first win the category.

A force to be reconned with all weekend, the Austrian driver stormed from a start in P6 on Saturday to finish on the podium in third.

On Sunday she started the feature race on Sunday in P3 before stamping her authority on the race to finished a clear winner, much to the delight of Audi Revolut F1 Team Principal, Jonathan Wheatley.

“Congratulations to Emma Felbermayr, who delivered a very confident and assured drive this weekend,” Wheatley said of the result.

“After some excellent overtaking on Saturday, she followed it up with a fantastic victory today – her first win of 2026 and the first win for Audi in F1® Academy.”

The attention now turns to Japan and the third round of the championship, where the team will be looking to build on its opening performances before the enforced break caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds in April.