(Motorsport-Total.com) – Formula 1 driver Nico Hülkenberg finds it “annoying” that Audi has not managed to score points since the season opener in Australia. His teammate Gabriel Bortoleto, on the other hand, says: “Realistically, we have reached our maximum in the past races.”
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This “maximum” was recently three times in a row the eleventh place for Bortoleto – just missing the top 10 and further world championship points. “But I am not frustrated,” said Bortoleto. Last weekend in Austria, Racing Bulls was faster. “Also, no one in front of us had any problems. That’s why we ultimately ended up exactly where I had placed the pace of our car.”
“Of course, three eleventh places in a row are always particularly bitter because you are so close to the points. I want to score points for the team, and I know how important that is. At the same time, we just have to continue on our current path. Because I think we have made great progress since the start of the season,” explained Bortoleto.
Where the Audi drivers already see progress
The Audi driver points to “significantly fewer problems than at the beginning,” when his team sometimes could not even participate in the race or retired early due to technical defects. “By now, we manage to have many more clean weekends,” said Bortoleto. “If we keep this course, we will eventually make the jump into the points – and hopefully then also be able to stay there consistently.”
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According to Hülkenberg, “it [anyway] doesn’t help” to dwell on the past. “You have to look forward, focus on what you can influence, and put your focus exactly there,” explained the German. “I know that success will come. It’s just a matter of time – ideally already this Saturday and Sunday.”
Perhaps the recent technical updates on the Audi R26 will contribute to this. Hülkenberg evaluates the innovations on the car as “basically a step forward.” The updates have “definitely worked.”
“But it is always difficult to make direct comparisons from one track to another,” said Hülkenberg. “This weekend with another high-speed track as a reference offers a better comparison and gives us more insights.”
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