James Key: Audi Validates R26 Systems in Barcelona

Audi centered its Barcelona shakedown around reliability as it brought the new R26 and its first in‑house power unit to the track, with technical director James Key saying the team would be “pretty pleased” to leave if a solid final day followed a disrupted opening. The weekend began with Gabriel Bortoleto stopping on Day 1 after a technical fault that triggered one of three red flags and limited Audi to roughly 27 laps. A later morning hold‑up, reportedly involving Nico Hülkenberg, was traced to a hydraulic leak that was fixed, allowing Hülkenberg to return in the afternoon and complete 68 laps. Key stressed that the priority was collecting fundamental track data so engineers in Neuburg could begin mapping the power unit and gearbox and tune energy‑recovery strategies. Audi deliberately ran fewer laps than some rivals, using three of the five available Barcelona running days and reserving the final permitted day on Friday as its third run to complete the program. The team characterized the faults as expected prove‑out issues for a brand‑new chassis and a first F1 power unit rather than reasons for alarm.

Overall Key judged the Barcelona program “on target” provided the last day went well, framing the sessions as a critical opportunity to validate systems and gather baseline data for early 2026 development. Engineers addressed the early setbacks and achieved substantive afternoon running, which the team described as productive for identifying and fixing initial issues with the power unit. Having taken over the Sauber entry and built its first F1 powertrains, Audi plans to focus resources on the official pre‑season tests in Bahrain next month. The squad emphasized methodical troubleshooting and data collection over maximizing lap count at this stage of integration. Key summed up the approach with a measured tone—“this is why we test”—highlighting that the priority remained technical validation and gathering the on‑track information required to progress development.