Bortoleto secures Audi's first F1 points with ninth

Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto finished ninth in the season-opening, 58-lap Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, handing Audi its first-ever Formula 1 points. It was a top-10 debut for the R26 chassis and Audi’s new power unit; Audi called the result “a positive baseline to build on.” The finish reflected preparatory work at Hinwil and Neuburg and matched the top-10 debut achieved by Haas in 2016 after Audi entered F1 this season as the only brand-new power-unit manufacturer following its takeover of Sauber.

Bortoleto, the 2024 FIA Formula 2 champion, reached Q3 and qualified 10th and described the weekend as “surreal” after a troubled pre-season, praising the team for delivering a race-ready car. One report said he missed the final moments of qualifying after being stranded at the pit entry. He lost places at the start amid opening-lap effects from the removal of the MGU-H but recovered through the race, closing on Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad on the final lap and narrowly missing eighth. Bortoleto said the sport’s new technical era — hybrid systems and active aerodynamics — produced wild energy swings that caught him out, with some overtakes happening “by mistake,” and that he is still learning the regulations and energy-management strategy.

The chaotic Melbourne weekend, with multiple incidents, safety cars and pit stops, shaped strategies and outcomes; Audi finished ahead of teams including Alpine, Williams and the debuting Cadillac squad. The weekend also exposed areas needing rapid attention: team leaders praised the engine division for delivering a reliable debut package but warned the internal-combustion engine still lacks power and will require rapid development, particularly because rival manufacturers already have multiple cars running the same power units, creating a short-term performance gap. Nico Hülkenberg did not start after his car lost telemetry; mechanics pushed the car to the grid in breach of procedures, which initially forced a pit-lane start, and a subsequent fluid leak left the No. 27 in the garage. Officials called the result encouraging but cautioned that substantial work remains to close the deficit to established competitors.