Strong showing in Singapore

Resplendent in the livery developed specifically for the Singapore Grand Prix, the Audi Revolut F1 Team was back in the points in Singapore over the weekend, achieving top 10 finishes in both Saturday’s Sprint race and Sunday’s Grand Prix.

The weekend very much belonged to Nico Hulkenberg who carried strong qualifying results into both competitive outings to give the team its first taste of points in both the Sprint and the main Grand Prix. His teammate, Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto was dogged all weekend by technical issues which caused issues in qualifying and ultimately saw him retire from the Grand Prix before the end of the race. In Saturday’s Sprint event he fell victim to an accident, making for a weekend where nothing went right for the Brazilian.

But Hulkenberg was able to build on recent form and a car which was performing well to produce a strong qualifying performance which he backed up in each race. Narrowly missing out on Q3, Hulkenberg qualified in 12th for Saturday’s Sprint race and then set about fighting his way up the order. An at times chaotic race which had a mixture of poor weather and various driver errors to contend with, the German driver finished in seventh to give the Audi Revolut F1 Team its first ever Sprint points.

Come the main event, Hulkenberg was dialled in, putting his Audi R26 on 11th in qualifying, before moving up a position due to a penalty against Mercedes driver, George Russell. A strong start saw him immediately improve his position and what followed was an inspired drive from Hulkenberg that showcased his talent and experience to bring the car home in eighth ahead of a hard-charging George Russell.

“It was one of the best races I have seen Nico drive,” said an ecstatic Allan McNish after the race.

“He was superb from start to finish and did a fantastic job to bring us into the points, securing some critical points in our championship fight,” the Audi Revolut F1 Team Race Director enthused.

“Overall, I think we can be quite proud of how we approached this weekend, both in qualifying and in the races. It is the first time we have scored points in both the Sprint and the main Grand Prix, so a very positive weekend on that side of the garage.”

Hulkenberg was obviously pleased with the weekend’s results and the growing consistency in the Team’s first year in Formula 1.

“What a way to finish the weekend. I think we maximised the opportunities we had, starting with a strong first lap that put us in a good position for the race,” he said after Sunday’s grand prix.

“From there, it was all about managing the tyres and staying focused, especially in the closing laps with George piling on the pressure.”

But while the Lion City and the Marina Bay circuit proved a happy haunting ground for Hulkenberg, it was one of pure frustration for Bortoleto.

“Overall, a weekend to forget for me. I guess everyone has ups and downs throughout the year, and this weekend was just one of those for me,” said a philosophical Bortoleto at the end of the weekend.

“I’m happy for Nico, he’s had a very strong weekend. Being able to hold off George and bring home points for the team shows the potential of the car and what we can achieve. It’s great for the team, even if it’s hard luck for me, but we look ahead to Austin.”

The weekend netted the Team a valuable six points, seeing its total climb to 23 points to date and closing the gap to seventh place in the championship rot just seven points.

“Today’s result is important, not just for the points and their impact in the battle for the championship positions, but particularly for the momentum that we’ve got leading into the next few races,” McNish says.

“It’s a big reward for the whole team and something to build on for the rest of the season.”

Teams now get a well-earned fortnight break before Round 19 of the 2026 Formula 1 Championship, the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, October 25-26th.