
Nico fasst zusammen, was das Team gelernt hat und was es in die Saison mitnimmt.

Die Vorsaisontests endeten mit einem reibungslosen letzten Tag in Sakhir. Nico Hülkenberg hat das Vormittagsprogramm absolviert, Gabriel Bortoleto ist Renn- und Qualifying-Simulationen gefahren, und der Audi R26 kehrt nun mit den Daten für Melbourne nach Hinwil, Neuburg und Bicester zurück.
Facts &
Figures
ONE SESSION IN NUMBERS


Day 3 | Morning session Distance (km)
64 laps
Niko Hulkenberg HUL 27

Day 3 | Morning session Distance (km)
71 laps
Gabriel Bortoleto (BOR 5)

Nico fasst zusammen, was das Team gelernt hat und was es in die Saison mitnimmt.

Als Nico und Gabi aus der Winterpause zurückkamen, hattet ihr die Fragen.

Auf der Strecke in Bahrain. Mehr Runden, mehr Erkenntnisse, mehr Klarheit.

Unterschiedliche Perspektiven. Ein gemeinsamer Fokus. Der Zusammenhalt hinter der Arbeit.

Mattia Binotto
Mattia Binotto

Mattia Binotto
"… and the team has shown great dedication and commitment throughout since our first outing at the beginning of January.
We started from a rather challenging position, with a list of areas to improve, and the response has been very strong across all departments: I want to thank everyone in Hinwil, Neuburg, and Bicester for their hard work."
Mattia Binotto
"Step by step, we’ve addressed many of those points and made significant progress. We haven’t solved everything, yet, but the development and the attitude across the team have been very encouraging. Looking at where we are now, I feel positive as we approach the start of the season."
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Jonathan Wheatley
Jonathan Wheatley

Jonathan Wheatley
"If I look back at 2026 so far, I see an extraordinary level of ambition across the team. Over the winter, we relocated several hundred people following refurbishment of our factory building, signed a roster of new partners, renewed every element of our trackside infrastructure — from pit equipment and panels to pit walls and hospitality — all delivered on schedule."
Jonathan Wheatley
"We also became the first team to run a 2026-specification car, taking to the track in the second week of January after successfully completing all FIA crash tests – an exceptional achievement in itself. Since then, we have launched the team in Berlin, participated in every day of testing and gathered a vast amount of information, not only about the car but about ourselves as a team."
Jonathan Wheatley
"The mileage we have achieved and the way the organisation has responded to every challenge over the past two months give me great encouragement. There is still a substantial job list heading into the season. We have made strong progress over the past two weeks, but we are under no illusion about the task ahead or the level of competition we will face in Melbourne."
Jonathan Wheatley
"That said, we are motivated, focused and united. The team spirit across Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester is of the highest order. We now pack up, regroup and turn our full attention to Melbourne.”
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James Key
James Key

James Key
"It brings back memories of an era when testing was far more extensive, but it was certainly necessary given these new cars and the scale of the regulation changes. It is hard to believe that only six weeks ago we were tentatively rolling the car out of the garage in Barcelona for our filming day in early January. Since then, we have made significant progress. "
James Key
"Over the past weeks we have introduced our race-spec aero package, completed race distance simulations, and carried out an extensive amount of set-up work across both chassis and power unit. It has been an extremely busy and intense period. The drivers are comfortable with the car and it is a good platform to work with. There are areas to improve in terms of reliability and performance, but nothing unexpected at this stage."
James Key
"Overall, we are broadly where we hoped to be at this point in the season and in our development as a team. As we continue to mature as Audi Revolut F1® Team, we can take more positives than negatives and head into the season with a degree of optimism — even if none of us truly knows where we stand competitively."
James Key
"I would also like to recognise the team’s effort. We were the first car on track and made substantial steps across the tests in how the car was configured and developed. Our colleagues in Neuburg have worked immensely hard to translate the first track data into continuous improvements over the course of the programme."
James Key
"A sincere thank you to everyone involved for the enormous effort required to reach this point. Thank you as well to Gabi and Nico for their positivity, feedback and the many laps they completed. Finally, particular recognition goes to the trackside team."
James Key
"Working with an unfamiliar car, they put in long hours to ensure we were ready to exit the garage at nine o’clock each morning, incorporating updates and managing issues throughout the day. Their work has been outstanding, and we leave testing with a strong foundation to build on."
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Nico Hülkenberg
Nico Hülkenberg

Nico Hülkenberg
"Our programme in Barcelona and the two sessions here in Bahrain are complete, and the focus now shifts to Melbourne, something that felt so far away in January. Looking back to these weeks of testing, we can find encouragement in the significant number of laps we completed: it’s testament to the enormous amount of work that has gone in across the factories in Hinwil, Bicester and Neuburg, in particular."
Nico Hülkenberg
"Bringing a new power unit to the track and beginning to understand it properly is a major undertaking, so a sincere thank you to everyone involved. We have made substantial progress over the course of the tests, learning day by day and taking important steps forward."
Nico Hülkenberg
"The team has been very hands-on, responding quickly to challenges and implementing solutions effectively. Now we have a week to consolidate all our learnings, do our homework and prepare thoroughly for Melbourne. Then it is finally time to go racing.”
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Gabriel Bortoleto
Gabriel Bortoleto

Gabriel Bortoleto
"I think the team has done a really good job: we’ve made solid progress with our car from where we started, and that’s really encouraging to see. There are still areas to work on and plenty to learn about it, but overall, it's safe to say it’s been a positive test..."
Gabriel Bortoleto
"... and I want to thank everyone in the team, both trackside as well as in Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester for their support and hard work. Now, the focus shifts to Melbourne: I’m looking forward to getting the season started.”
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