Audi arrived in Mexico eighth in the Constructors’ Championship, seven points behind Haas, after finishing just outside the points in Austin. Hülkenberg has finished 11th in three of the past four Grands Prix, illustrating how close the team has been to scoring without consistently converting its pace into results. Speaking to Formula1.com ahead of the weekend, he described the battle with Racing Bulls and Alpine as being “on a knife’s edge,” with clean execution by both drivers and team essential to securing points.
Hülkenberg recorded a 1:19.608 in the opening session, improving to 1:19.023 in the afternoon. Freddie Slater, taking over Bortoleto’s cockpit for FP1, finished 21st with a 1:20.945. Bortoleto returned for FP2 but missed most of the session while mechanics worked on his car, eventually recording a 1:20.174 for 22nd. The Brazilian’s position therefore offered little indication of his potential over a full practice programme.
R26 STRAIGHT-LINE SPEED SHOWS PROMISE
The supplied fastest-lap speed comparisons suggest Audi was competitive on Mexico’s long straights. Slater at the wheel of Bortoleto’s car matched Pierre Gasly at the top of the FP1 table at 351 km/h, while Bortoleto led the FP2 comparison at 352 km/h. Hülkenberg registered 349 km/h and 351 km/h respectively. These figures show peak speeds on each driver’s fastest lap, rather than the highest speed achieved throughout each session, and do not establish an overall lap-time advantage.
That’s an encouraging sign as Audi works to convert individual strengths into a place in the points. Hülkenberg’s Friday results left room for improvement, with the German reporting that some aspects of the car had not behaved as expected. Overnight analysis and Saturday’s final practice will give the team an opportunity to address those questions before qualifying.
SMALL MARGINS IN THE MIDFIELD
Audi arrived in Mexico eighth in the Constructors’ Championship, seven points behind Haas, after finishing just outside the points in Austin. Hülkenberg has finished 11th in three of the past four Grands Prix, illustrating how close the team has been to scoring without consistently converting its pace into results. Racing Bulls and Alpine remain part of that closely matched group, placing added importance on qualifying position, race starts and clean execution.
Bortoleto’s Austin performance exhibited competitive practice pace preceding a recovery to 13th from the back of the grid. His Mexico preparations were more limited, and a new control electronics unit brings a five-place grid penalty. Audi also received fines totaling €12,500 for releasing Slater with a cooling fan attached in FP1 and covering components during work on Bortoleto’s car in FP2. The immediate sporting priority is to recover the lost preparation time and establish whether Friday’s straight-line speed can contribute to a stronger qualifying performance.
SCHEDULE
| DAY/DATE | ACTIVITY | TRACK TIME | CET | EST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 23 Oct | Practice 1 | 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | 19:30-21:30 | 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM |
| Fri 23 Oct | Practice 2 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | 23:00-24:00 | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| Sat 24 Oct | Practice 3 | 11:30 PM – 12:30 PM | 19:30-21:30 | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM |
| Sat 24 Oct | Qualifying | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | 23:00-24:00 | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM |
| Sun 25 Oct | Grand Prix | 2:00 PM | 22:00 | 6:00 PM |
RACE INFORMATION
AUDI REVOLUT F1 | FORMULA 1 SERIES | OFFICIAL MEXICO CITY GP WEBSITE | GRAND PRIX EVENTS | MEXICO GP SMART MAP
FREE PRACTICE #1 RESULTS
FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME/GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:18.128 | 29 |
| 2 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.659 | 30 |
| 3 | 72 | Frederik Vesti | Mercedes | +0.733 | 24 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.738 | 25 |
| 5 | 36 | Ayumu Iwasa | Red Bull | +0.985 | 23 |
| 6 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.082 | 33 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.229 | 29 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +1.248 | 30 |
| 9 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.284 | 28 |
| 10 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1.350 | 30 |
| – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 13 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.480 | 27 |
| 21 | 98 | Freddie Slater | Audi | +2.817 | 14 |
FREE PRACTICE #2 RESULTS
FULL RESULTS | WATCH BROADCAST
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME/GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:17.827 | 35 |
| 2 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.103 | 33 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.106 | 31 |
| 4 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.217 | 33 |
| 5 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.311 | 26 |
| 6 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.410 | 31 |
| 7 | 41 | Avid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +0.562 | 34 |
| 8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.580 | 33 |
| 9 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.628 | 32 |
| 10 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.642 | 32 |
| – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 15 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.196 | 35 |
| 22 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +2.347 | 12 |
TEAM SUMMARY
Nico Hulkenberg was one of the first to lock-up in FP1, locking both front tyres for good measure in what were tricky track conditions. But while that was less than ideal, what was even worse was the Audi team leaving a cooling fan on Freddie Slater’s car, and letting him complete a lap with it in situ. That led to a lengthy stay for the youngster in the pits as the team assessed the damage, and cost him some track time.
Gabriel Bortoleto regained his cockpit for FP2, but the team had found an issue with his car and he missed three quarters of the session as a result, only coming out very late on and thus goes into Saturday very much on the back foot.
TEAM QUOTES
Nico Hulkenberg, Car #27
FP1: 13th / 1:19.608 (27 laps)
FP2: 15th / 1:19.023 (35 laps)
“It wasn’t the most straightforward Friday for us. A few things didn’t quite work as expected, and there are still some open questions we need to get to the bottom of. We’ve got a bit of homework to do overnight, but hopefully we can find some answers and be in better shape tomorrow.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, Car #5
FP1: Did not take part
FP2: 22nd / 1:20.174 (12 laps)
“Not the easiest day for us. I sat FP1 out, as Freddie was in the car, but then we had a few issues before FP2 which meant I could not get much running in, completing only two laps right at the end of the session. Still, a big thank you to my mechanics for all the work they put in to get me back out on track for those final laps. It is a shame not to have had more time in the car today, but we will do our best to make up for it tomorrow in the last final practice session before Qualifying.”
Freddie Slater, Car #98
FP1: 21st / 1:20.945 (14 laps)
FP2: Did not take part
“It was such a special day for me to finally get my first taste of the R26, and I am very grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity. It is something I have been dreaming about since I was four or five years old; overall, it was an incredible experience and one I will take a lot from.
“We stuck to our plan and ticked the boxes we needed to, which is part of the job when stepping in for FP1. Even though our running was slightly limited, I also took some good learnings from the session and got my first feel of the 2026 cars, which was pretty amazing. I cannot wait for Brazil now.”
PHOTO GALLERY
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