Audi Racing Director Allan McNish has asked for his team to be judged on performance at the end of 2026, following a disastrous Formula 1Miami Grand Prix.
Audi endured a nightmare weekend in the Sunshine State, with reliability woes and issues negating any progress intended by upgrades brought to the R26.
Nico Hulkenberg’s car broke down on the way to the grid for the Sprint Race on Saturday, whilst Gabriel Bortoleto was later disqualified due to a technical infringement.
Sundays Grand Prix proved no better, has Hulknenberg trundled around with a technical issue following contact with the Williams of Carlos Sainz.
But Team Principal Allan McNish has called for patience on judging the team, confirming more extensive upgrades are planned for Canada.
“Yeah, we will be,” he said of Audi’s upgrades timeline.
“Canada is quite specific, and so is Monaco. In reality, those are pretty specific circuits – the same as Monza is a little bit more related towards Canada. But we do have things.
“We had four upgrades in Miami – some front brake ducts – but small relative to what the majority of the competition had.
“I think we’ve got to remember as well, this is race four for a new team. Sauber was there before, but it’s also the integration of the Audi power unit into that system as well.
“Therefore, judge us at the end of the year.”
Reflecting on a tough weekend in Miami
Despite the difficulties in Miami, McNish maintains there were positives from the weekend, revealing confidence in the overall package of the R26.
“The raw pace of the car [was strong], and also, when you talk about Nico [Hulkenberg], I’ve got to say, from what he did with the problem to qualify on the edge of Q3 was pretty impressive and it showed his experience.
“Certainly, we know that, like it always is, when you’ve got a new regulation for a new season and there are bigger gaps, those naturally close down. So the gaps that we can see – the likes of Williams improved their race performance in Miami, so it is going to get harder and harder. It’s not as if we can sit on our pace, we have to improve in other areas as well.
“But ultimately, I think the underlying car performance, chassis performance, is really good.”
McNish’s belief in Audi is unwavering, and the team is showing genuine promise, but faces an uphill challenge to move forward in its inagural year.
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