With this recurring column, ooooIYKYK aims to summarize activities of Audi racing campaigns and competition endeavors. This weekly series brief updates of results, preparation, happenings and rumors pertaining to on track activities. See a full calendar of motorsport activities involving Audi Sport factory, customer and Sauber F1 teams maintained HERE.
OPEN WHEEL RACING – F1
ROUND #3, F1 LENOVO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
Japanese Grand Prix Recap
Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber walked away from Japan with P16 and P19 results. With dry conditions and no safety car at any point during the race, making up places in the back of the competition proved difficult.
Splitting strategies between cars, Hulkenberg took the start on medium tires while Bortoleto began the race on the hard compound tires. Sauber’s rookie driver had a bad start, seeing him at the back of the field where he had to spend his race recovering from that.
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal
“There are a lot of positives to take away from this race. Despite an unfortunate start from Gabriel, he gained competitive speed during the race and together with Nico, both cars kept pace with the lower mid-field pack.
Nico had another solid race and given the challenges of overtaking at Suzuka together with getting stuck in the DRS train behind Jack Doohan, he kept pushing to the very end. I want to recognise the great teamwork this weekend and in particular some encouraging pitstop times. That is a good start to the triple header and I want to thank the race team and everyone back at the factory for their support and contribution.”
Nico Hulkenberg (Car# 27):
Race result: 16th
Fastest lap: 1:32.572 (Lap 31)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Medium) – Lap 22 (New Hard)
“The car didn’t feel too bad today, and I would have liked the chance to explore its full potential a bit more. But Suzuka is a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult, and that really defined the race. I spent most of the time in traffic, which made it hard to make any real progress and ultimately turned it into a fairly uneventful race. That’s obviously a bit frustrating. We know there’s still work to do – both in terms of overall pace and car characteristics – and today’s race underlined that once again. It’s still early in the season and we continue to learn with every race weekend.”
Gabriel Bortoleto (Car# 5):
Race result: 19th
Fastest lap: 1:32.034 (Lap 45)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Hard) – Lap 31 (New Medium)
“Unfortunately, I didn’t get off to the best start today and found myself at the back of the pack. Climbing back through the field proved difficult, especially at a circuit like Suzuka where overtaking is notoriously tough. I’m taking all the experience and learnings with me as we head to Bahrain for the second leg of this triple header.”
NEXT ROUND F1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain (Apr 11 – Apr 13)
SPORTSCAR RACING – GT and Touring Car Customer Racing
Audi RS 3 LMS Celebrates 10 Years
It’s hard to believe a decade has flown by since the TCR Class was introduced. Audi showed its first RS 3 LMS in 2026, followed shortly thereafter with competition debuts around the world.
In a hat tip to the sport and the class, Audi Sport took to Instagram in order to offer their congratulations.
DEUTSCHE TOURENWAGEN MASTERS (DTM)
Series Adjustments and Changes Announced for 2025 DTM Season
The DTM has held their annual Test & Media Day at Oschersleben where they rolled out several changes fans can expect to see enacted for the 2025 season.
First up, Race Format
A slightly adjusted race format will be the new event formula, with each Sunday race including two mandatory pit stops. The Saturday race will continue with the single mandatory stop. No matter the day, all races will last 55 minutes plus one lap. In cases where the safety car is used, the race distance can be extended by a maximum of two “joker laps”.
Next up, Synthetic Fuel
“With the strong field and a wide variety of manufacturers, everything is in place to make it an exciting DTM season,” says Dr. Gerd Ennser, ADAC Sport President, ahead of the third DTM season under the umbrella of the ADAC. “We are also continuing on the path we have embarked upon to achieve sustainable and future-oriented structures in the DTM. With the ‘DTM Pro Climate’ fuel from our partner Coryton, we are introducing a new climate-friendly and synthetic fuel that reduces CO₂ emissions.” This further enhances the sustainability begun with the introduction of new tire technology from Pirelli where the compound of their new P Zero DHG tire contains an FSC-certified natural rubber component.
GT WORLD CHALLENGE AUSTRALIA
Phillip Island Recap: Dominant Multi-Class Performance and Victories for Audi R8 LMS Teams
Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney are the victors in the second round of the 2025 World Challenge Australia 2025 season race at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The driving duo both put in a solid performance, capitalizing on on-track drama to take the victory.
Elsewhere on the grid, Alex Peroni in the Team BRM/ACM Finance Audi R8 LMS EVO II came into the weekend strong by laying down the fastest times in both pre-qualifying practice sessions. The team was a favorite to win outright, but an early jump on the pole sitter at the start saw them hit with a fire second penalty. So, Peroni took an early lead and drove on the edge trying to build up a gap that would help him during the extra time he’d incur during the pit stop. When the pit stop and driver change did come, a pit stop breach had the team hit with a drive through penalty as well.
In the Am Cup category, Renee Gracie challenged the Black Wolf Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO of Schoots and Woodman in an entertaining battle – a battle she inevitably won, finishing the race more than 30 seconds ahead of her chief competitors and netting her first victory of the season.
Watch the Phillip Island Race Race 2 in Full Here.
Brad Schumacher Reveals 2025 Livery for His Australian GT Audi R8
Brad Schumacher is a loyalist to the Audi brand in racing, and proves that in his paying of tribute to the four rings’ early 2011 and 2012 successes at the 12 Hours of Bathurst with Team Joest.
Fans will recognize the kangaroo on the livery on this new car, similar to the one that famously ran on Team Joest’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour winner driven then by Christer Jöns, Christopher Mies and Darryl O’Young.
Other sponsors beyond Audi Sport on the car include Schumacher’s company Kelso Electrical, Game Over Family Fun Centres and Airworx HVAC. Green and gold add to the patriotic theme, a tribute to New Zealand from which he hails and where the final round of the season will take place at Hampton Downs.
Brad Schumacher (Car #888)
“Last year we celebrated 10 years of Kelso Electrical’s incorporation.”
“Kelso Electrical’s corporate identity branding is white, green and black, so for the 10 year anniversary we included gold into our advertising, which is where the colours for the livery came from.
“I’ve always liked the 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour winning Audi Sport entry featuring the kangaroo on the side and I wanted to rejuvenate the livery, with a modern spin. This is where the kangaroo comes from and with the tie-in between the Kelso Electrical 10th anniversary gold, it made for the best Aussie livery.
“With the increased New Zealand presence in GT World Challenge Australia this season and the final round being across the ditch, we thought it was fitting to run an Australian livery circulating at Hampton Downs later in the year.
GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA
Markus Winkelhock Joins Audi Sport Asia for GT World Challenge Asia Campaign
Longtime Audi Sport factory driver Marcus Winkelhock joins Cheng Corfu and Yu Kuai as part of the official Audi Sport Asia driver pool.
The group will form a two-pronged attack on the 2025 GT World Challenge Asia, with Cheng and Yu assigned to FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom and Winkelhock joining privateer Bao Jinlong in another Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom R8 LMS.
Other programs for these drivers associated with Audi Sport Asia activities will be announced at a later time.
UPCOMING ROUNDS: WEEK 16 (APR 13-APR 20)
Sidenote: See full season calendar HERE.
10-13 – GT4 European Series, Circuit Paul Ricard, France – GT4
11-13 – F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain – F1
11-13 – GT America, Long Beach Grand Prix, USA 🇺🇸 – GT3
11-13 – GT World Challenge / GT World Challenge Asia, Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia – GT3, GT4, TCR
11-13 – GT World Challenge Europe, Sprint Cup, Brands Hatch, UK – GT3
18-20 – F1 STC Saudia Arabian Grand Prix, Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Saudia Arabia – F1
18-20 – FFSA GT Championnat de France, Nogaro Easter Cups, Nogaro, France – GT3, GT4
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