Audi Revolut F1 Team narrowly missed extending its recent points-scoring run at the Italian Grand Prix, with Gabriel Bortoleto finishing 11th and Nico Hülkenberg 12th at Monza. Both drivers lost ground during difficult opening laps and spent much of the afternoon trying to recover, with Bortoleto ultimately finishing one position shy of the points. Audi had identified Monza as one of the circuits least suited to the R26, but solid race pace and strategy allowed both cars to remain in contention around the lower reaches of the top 10.
Bortoleto started on soft tires before switching to mediums on Lap 3, pushing hard as he attempted to regain the positions lost early in the race. Hülkenberg also stopped on Lap 3, moving from mediums to hards before Audi took advantage of a Virtual Safety Car on Lap 27 to put him back onto mediums. The pit crew delivered the fastest stop of the race as part of an otherwise well-executed afternoon, but neither driver ultimately had enough pace to break into the points. Up front, Kimi Antonelli produced a remarkable comeback victory from the back of the grid, beating George Russell as Ferrari endured a difficult home Grand Prix.
The 11th- and 12th-place finishes end Audi’s run of four consecutive points-scoring Grands Prix, but Racing Director Allan McNish characterized the result as a solid effort given the expected limitations of the car at Monza. Audi now turns immediately toward another unknown as Formula 1 travels to Madrid for the inaugural Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit and the final European round of the season. Audi development driver Freddie Slater will also arrive in Madrid leading the Formula 3 championship by 15 points despite retiring from the Monza Feature Race with a mechanical failure.
GRAND PRIX RESULTS
FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME/GAP | LAPS | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:51.15.281 | 53 | 25 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +3.857 | 53 | 18 |
| 3 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +14.718 | 53 | 15 |
| 4 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +19.056 | 53 | 12 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +19.253 | 53 | 10 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +24.655 | 53 | 8 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +27.351 | 53 | 6 |
| 8 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +45.136 | 53 | 4 |
| 9 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +47.353 | 53 | 2 |
| 10 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | +58.187 | 53 | 1 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +65.187 | 53 | 0 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +66.187 | 53 | 0 |
DRIVER STANDINGS (TOP 10)
| POS. | DRIVER | NATIONALITY | TEAM | PTS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Anotonelli | 🇮🇹 ITA | Mercedes | 267 |
| 2 | George Russell | 🇬🇧 GBR | Mercedes | 201 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 🇬🇧 GBR | Ferrari | 191 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | 🇬🇧 GBR | McLaren | 171 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 🇲🇨 MON | Ferrari | 155 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 🇳🇱 NED | Red Bull | 127 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | 🇦🇺 AUS | McLaren | 116 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | 🇫🇷 FR | Red Bull | 71 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | 🇳🇿 NZL | Racing Bulls | 51 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | 🇫🇷 FR | Alpine | 41 |
| – | – | – | = | – |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 🇧🇷 BRA | Audi | 10 |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | 🇩🇪 GER | Audi | 6 |
TEAM STANDINGS
| POS. | TEAM | PTS. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 468 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 346 |
| 3 | McLaren | 287 |
| 4 | Red Bull | 204 |
| 5 | Racing Bulls | 75 |
| 6 | Alpine | 62 |
| 7 | Haas | 21 |
| 8 | Audi | 16 |
| 9 | Williams | 11 |
| 10 | Aston Martin | 3 |
| 11 | Cadillac | 0 |
TEAM SUMMARY
Audi Revolut F1 Team narrowly missed out on points at the Italian Grand Prix, with both Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto recovering from difficult opening laps to finish just outside the top 10.
The team expected Monza to be one of the more challenging rounds for its package, but well-timed strategy decisions, solid race pace and the fastest pit stop of the race helped to make the most of the opportunities available. Now, the focus shifts to Madrid in one week’s time, with the new Madring circuit making its long-awaited debut as the final European race on the calendar.
Earlier today, Freddie Slater was forced to retire from the Formula 3 Feature Race due to an unlucky mechanical failure, but remains at the top of the championship standings. The Audi Driver Development Programme driver takes a 15-point lead into the championship finale in Madrid, with three races still to come.
TEAM QUOTES
Allan McNish, Racing Director
“We knew Monza would be one of the more difficult circuits for our car, so to come away with both cars finishing just outside the points is a solid effort. The starts made life difficult for both Nico and Gabriel, and with such a long run to Turn 1, losing positions early meant we were always fighting back.
“I think everyone did a good job to maximise what was available today. Both drivers recovered well, the strategy calls were strong, particularly around the Virtual Safety Car for Nico, and the pit crew once again delivered an excellent stop. The execution across the team was very good, and that’s something we can take with us as we head to Madrid.”
Nico Hulkenberg, Car #27
Race result: 12th
Fastest lap: 1:24.364 (Lap 53)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Medium) – Lap 3 (New Hard) – Lap 27 (Used Medium)
“Overall, we knew this was always going to be one of the more difficult weekends for us given the characteristics of the circuit, so considering that, it wasn’t a bad day. The second start was much better, and I managed to gain a few positions on the opening lap, but unfortunately, I lost out again shortly afterwards. We’ll need to review exactly what happened there and understand if there was something we could have done differently.
“From then on, it was a fairly straightforward race. We extracted what we could from the package today, and that’s about where we were this weekend. We’ll go away, review everything and turn our attention to Madrid.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, Car #5
Race result: 11th
Fastest lap: 1:26.188 (Lap 31)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (New Soft) – Lap 3 (New Medium)
“I think I gave everything I had today. The start definitely didn’t make things easy for us, and once you lose positions on the opening lap, it’s always a challenge to recover. We pushed hard and probably used the tyres a bit too much, but that’s part of trying to fight back. The Racing Bulls were quite strong today, especially on the straights, and keeping up with them was more tough than expected.
“Still, the team gave me a car capable of fighting much closer to the points than we expected, and we’ll keep building from that heading into Madrid next week, where hopefully we’ll have better opportunities.”
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