Gabriel Bortoleto qualified 10th at Sepang, giving Audi a stronger showing after its difficult weekend in Baku. Nico Hülkenberg finished 17th after a late lock-up cost him a place in Q2, although penalties for Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad are set to move him to 15th on the starting grid.
Bortoleto’s strongest work came in the opening two sessions. His 1:37.106 put him eighth in Q1, with F1 reporting that he recorded the fastest first sector of the session. He improved to 1:36.814 in Q2, securing the final place in Q3 by 0.209 seconds over Liam Lawson. A 1:37.673 in the final session left him 10th, behind Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
The result offered a more encouraging indication of Audi’s upgrade package, which had produced little reward in Azerbaijan.
Hülkenberg’s result concealed some of that same potential. According to McNish, he was running at comparable pace before locking up at Turn 14 on his final lap. His 1:37.970 left him just 0.087 seconds short of advancing to Q2, making the mistake decisive in a closely matched field.
For the race, both drivers identified high tire degradation as a central challenge, with Hülkenberg also pointing to the possibility of changing weather. Bortoleto’s top-10 qualifying position gives Audi an opportunity to convert its improved pace into points, while Hülkenberg faces a recovery drive from 15th. Qualifying showed a step forward from Baku; sustaining that performance over a race distance remains the next test.
RACE SCHEDULE
| DAY/DATE | ACTIVITY | TRACK TIME | CET | EST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 02 Oct | Practice 1 | 12:30-13:30 | 06:30-07:30 | 12:30 AM – 1:30 AM |
| Fri 02 Oct | Practice 2 | 16:00-17:00 | 10:00-11:00 | 4:00 AM -5:00 AM |
| Sat 03 Oct | Practice 3 | 12:30-13:30 | 06:30-07:30 | 12:30 AM – 1:30 AM |
| Sat 03 Oct | Qualifying | 16:00-17:00 | 10:00-11:00 | 4:00 AM -5:00 AM |
| Sun 04 Oct | Grand Prix | 15:00 | 09:00 | 3:00 AM |
RACE INFORMATION
AUDI REVOLUT F1 | FORMULA 1 SERIES | OFFICIAL BAHRAIN GP WEBSITE | GRAND PRIX EVENTS
FREE PRACTICE #3 RESULTS
FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME/GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:36.302 | 12 |
| 2 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.278 | 12 |
| 3 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.558 | 15 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.610 | 11 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.714 | 19 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.739 | 15 |
| 7 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.859 | 15 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +1.064 | 16 |
| 9 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.618 | 20 |
| 10 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1.782 | 24 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.902 | 15 |
| – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 16 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +2.054 | 14 |
QUALIFYING RESULTS
FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | 1 | Q2 | Q3 | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:36.477 | 1:35.696 | 1:35.130 | 12 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:36.595 | 1:36.032 | 1:35.428 | 15 |
| 3 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:36.898 | 1:36.192 | 1:35.558 | 12 |
| 4 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:37.041 | 1:35.959 | 1:35.558 | 12 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:36.730 | 1:35.970 | 1:35.666 | 12 |
| 6 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:37.092 | 1:36.173 | 1:35.757 | 12 |
| 7 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:36.852 | 1:36.020 | 1:35.757 | 12 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:37.264 | 1:36.245 | 1:35.871 | 12 |
| 9 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:37.174 | 1:36.410 | 1:37.210 | 18 |
| 10 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:37.106 | 1:36.814 | 1:37.673 | 18 |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 18 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:37.970 | 6 |
STARTING GRID
| LEFT SIDE | RIGHT SIDE (RACING LINE) |
|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari (P2) | Max Verstappen, Red Bull (P1) |
| Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (P4) | Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes (P3) |
| Oscar Piastri, McLaren (P6) | Lando Norris, McLaren (P5) |
| Isack Hadjar, Red Bull (P8) | George Russell, Mercedes (P7) |
| Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi (P10) | Pierre Gasly, Alpine (P9) |
| Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (P12) | Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls (P11) |
| Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (P14) | Carlos Sainz, Williams (P13) |
| Oliver Bearman, Haas (P16) | Nico Hulkenberg, Audi (P15) |
| Alexander Albon, Williams (P18) | Esteban Ocon, Haas (P17) |
| Sergio Perez, Cadillac (P20) | Valteeri Bottas, Cadillac (P19) |
| Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls (P22) | Franco Colapinto, Alpine (P21) |
TEAM QUOTES
Allan McNish, Racing Director
“I think it is fair to say it has been quite a challenging weekend for everybody: coming to a new circuit, getting up to speed and finding the right car balance and feeling has not been easy in these conditions. For us, it all came together in qualifying, where I think we extracted the best performance from the car. The new package was working very well, and Gabi delivered some absolutely fantastic laps throughout the session to get into Q3 and secure a good starting position for tomorrow.
“Nico was on exactly the same pace but unfortunately locked up into Turn 14 on his final lap: he will start 15th after the penalties to Colapinto and Lindblad are applied. Knowing the race pace he has shown, and how well he can fight his way through, I think we have two cars very much in the game tomorrow.”
Nico Hulkenberg, Car #27
FP3: 16th / 1:38.356 (14 laps)
Q1: 17th / 1:37.970 (6 laps)
“It was a disappointing end to qualifying because the lap was coming together well until the lock-up in the final sector. The margins are so tight these days that you need to get every corner right, and unfortunately that cost us a significant amount of lap time.”
“Tomorrow will be a demanding race with high tyre degradation, and the weather could add another element. Starting further back is never ideal, but there are plenty of variables here, so we’ll give it our best shot and try to make our way forward.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, Car #5
FP3: 11th / 1:38.204 (15 laps)
Q1: 1:37.106 (6 laps)
Q2: 1:36.814 (6 laps)
Q3: 10th / 1:37.673 (6 laps)
“I’m very happy, I think it was a mega lap – overall, all the laps in qualifying were very good and I felt really at ease with the car.
“After a tough weekend in Baku, I think this is a very strong response, and it shows the quality of the upgrades package webrought. The whole midfield has closed the gap now, so hats off to the team for the incredible job they’ve done, putting the car in the right window and giving us the confidence to push. If I was able to deliver this today, it’s thanks to them, and I really appreciate that.”
“There’s going to be a lot of degradation tomorrow, but that’s the same for everyone. Hopefully we can put together a good race, keep the tyres alive and go for the points.”
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