Strong showing at Suzuka

The third round of the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the famed Suzuka circuit in Japan was one of ‘mixed feelings’ according to the Head of Audi F1 Project, Mattia Binotto. With both cars circulating strongly in practice and on into qualifying, the speed of the Audi R26 was on show for all to see. Gabriel Bortoleto in car #5 once again went right through to Q3 just as he did in Melbourne, the Brazilian ultimately setting the ninth fastest time giving the team a good starting point from which to go after points in the race.

His teammate, Nico Hulkenberg in #27 was on the pace throughout practice, but fell just short of the top 10 in Q2, having to settle for position 13 to start Sunday’s race.

Come race day though, a poor start saw both of the Audi drivers slip back initially and there began what became an intriguing race as Bortoleto and Hulkenberg fought their way back through the field.

In a race that saw the pace car deployed following a heavy shunt involving Haas driver Oliver Bearman, the speed of the Audis remained on show. Nico Hulkenberg fought his way back from as far back as position 19th at one stage to finish just outside of the points in P11. Bortoleto also lost several positions after the start but also found his groove into the race to come home in P13.

“The race leaves us with mixed feelings, with both positives and areas to improve,” said Mattia Binotto on Sunday, the Italian Head of Audi F1 Project also adopting the dual role of Team Principal from the Japan race following the recent departure of Jonathan Wheatley.

"On the positive side, having both cars start the race and complete the full distance is an important step forward for the team. Reliability was strong throughout, and operationally the race was well executed, including consistent pit stops without issues.

“The pace of the car was also encouraging. We have shown that we can compete around the top ten, and Nico’s race in particular demonstrated that, fighting well through the field and making overtakes on some quick cars to finish just outside the points.

“At the same time, there are clear areas where we need to improve. Our start performance is not yet where it needs to be, and we lost significant ground on the opening lap, which ultimately nullified the good work done yesterday and compromised the race for both drivers. More broadly, drivability and energy management remain key areas of focus. As a young package, which is what we are, we still have a lot to learn and refine.

“We now have some time ahead of us to analyse the data and continue developing the car. While we did not achieve the points we were targeting, there are solid foundations in place, and our focus is on coming back stronger in the next phase of the season.”

With just over a month until the next race in Miami, the Audi Revolut F1 Team now has the opportunity to further fine tune the package and put into place improvements and work on areas still requiring attention.

Both drivers agree that strong starts must become a priority after Suzuka and will go a long way to helping capitalise on the Audi’s obvious speed and securing the team points in future races.

“What mainly affected us today, unfortunately, was the start,” Gabriel Bortoleto said of Sunday’s race.

“We we've been knowing since the first race of the season it's something we need to work on, to try and put things back in place and not compromise the job we do on Saturday.
“Now, with almost five weeks away from racing, we'll keep our head down and make the most out of this time to work together across our bases and improve our car in order to come back in Miami in May in a better place.”

Round four of the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship resumes in Miami from May 1st to 3rd.