🇪🇸 Audi F1 R:14.2026 Gran Premio de España FP3 & Qualifying (Saturday)

Audi Revolut F1 Team will start the Spanish Grand Prix at Madring from just outside the top 10 after Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto qualified 11th and 12th. Hülkenberg came particularly close to advancing into Q3, his 1:33.223 falling just 0.019 seconds short of the cutoff. Bortoleto followed with a 1:33.388, putting the two Audi R26s alongside each other on the sixth row of the grid.

Saturday began encouragingly, with both Audi drivers finishing FP3 inside the top 10 on soft tires. Audi was also the only team to use the medium compound during the session, although multiple red flags limited the usefulness of that running. Combined with its exclusive use of the C2 hard during Friday practice, Audi has nevertheless accumulated experience across compounds at a circuit where teams entered the weekend without historical race data.

Qualifying ultimately confirmed how closely matched Audi remains with the cars around it. Hülkenberg edged Bortoleto by 0.165 seconds in Q2, but the 0.019-second margin separating the German from Q3 left Audi on the wrong side of another extremely tight midfield battle. P11 and P12 nevertheless put both cars immediately behind the points positions and leave Audi with two cars from which to pursue different strategies if tire degradation or incidents become significant factors in Madring’s first Grand Prix.

The priority on Sunday will be converting those starting positions into a cleaner opening phase than Audi managed at Monza, where difficult starts left both cars fighting back through the field before finishing 11th and 12th. Audi has scored points in four of the previous five Grands Prix and starts Madrid close enough to the top 10 to extend that run. With no previous Spanish Grand Prix at Madring to establish a strategic baseline, however, the opening laps, tire degradation and the likelihood of interruptions could prove as important as outright pace.

MADRID, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 12: Nico Hulkenberg of Germany driving the (27) Audi F1 Team R26 in the Pitlane during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Madring on September 12, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

SCHEDULE

DAY/DATE	ACTIVITY	TRACK TIME	CET	EST
Fri 11 Sep	Practice 1	13:30-14:30	13:30-14:30	7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Fri 11 Sep	Practice 2	17:00-18:00	17:00-18:00	11:00 AM -12:00 AM
Sat 12 Sep	Practice 3	12:30-13:30	12:30-13:30	6:30 AM – 7:30 AM
Sat 12 Sep	Qualifying	16:00-17:00	16:00-17:00	10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Sun 13 Sep	Grand Prix	15:00	15:00	9:00 AM

RACE INFORMATION

AUDI REVOLUT F1 | FORMULA 1 SERIES | OFFICIAL MADRING WEBSITE

FREE PRACTICE #3 RESULTS

FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME/GAP	LAPS
1	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:32.797	13
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.166	13
3	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.189	12
4	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.236	13
5	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.375	9
6	63	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.702	11
7	30	Liam Lawson	Red Bull	+1.105	14
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+1.136	14
9	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+1.487	5
10	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+1.491	15

QUALIFYING RESULTS

FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST

POS.	NO.	DRIVER	TEAM	1	Q2	Q3	LAPS
1	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:33.469	1:32.873	1:31.824	19
2	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:33.267	1:32.591	1:31.835	20
3	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:33.381	1:32.431	1:31.964	18
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:33.531	1:32.710	1:32.013	21
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:33.532	1:32.755	1:32.019	21
6	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:33.211	1:32.850	1:32.149	22
7	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:33.829	1:33.204	1:32.294	22
8	30	Liam Lawson	Red Bull	1:33.310	1:32.780	1:32.216	18
9	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:33.963	1:33.038	1:32.903	17
10	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	1:34.340	1:33.204	1:33.041	21
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1:34.417	1:33.223		13
13	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:33.986	1:33.388		12

TEAM QUOTES

Allan McNish, Racing Director
“It was a very tight qualifying session at a circuit on which getting laps together is not easy. Despite this, both Nico and Gabi, as well as the crews, were able to deliver a good performance. Unfortunately, less than two hundredths of a second was the difference between getting into Q3 or not for Nico: it was a tiny margin, but we were just on the wrong side of that. I think that was the most we could extract for our car, so we can’t be too disappointed with that. Overall, with both cars up there on the edge of the top ten, it was another strong performance by the team, especially in light ofthe upgrades our rivals have brought in the last few races.

Nico Hulkenberg, Car #27
FP3: 8th / 1:33.933 (14 laps)
Q1: 1:34.417 (7 laps)
Q2: 11th / 1:33.223 (6 laps)

“It was incredibly tight today, and we missed out on Q3 by just 0.019s. We knew qualifying around a brand-new circuit would be close, and that’s exactly how it turned out. Tomorrow is still a bit of an unknown. It’s the first race here, so nobody really knows how things will unfold. We have to be ready for whatever comes our way. The priority will be to stay out of trouble early on, and then see what we can make of the race.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, Car #5
FP3: 10th / 1:34.288 (15 laps)
Q1: 1:33.986 (6 laps)
Q2: 12th / 1:33.388 (6 laps)

“I actually think today was not too bad, but it was difficult to put the perfect lap together. In all fairness, it’s been a bit of an odd weekend so far: we have changed the car quite a lot from yesterday, and I did find more confidence in Qualifying, but I think there was definitely more on the table for us today.

“Looking at tomorrow, I think there is a chance for us to move forward, but it will depend a lot on our pace and how much tyre degradation will impact us. As always, we’ll give our best and see where it takes us.”

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