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.
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 Aug | Qualifying | 16:00-17:00 | 16:00-17:00 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM |
| Sun 13 Aug | 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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