08 March 2026
First points in Melbourne.
First points in Melbourne.
Gabi brought home 2 points, while Nico unfortunately couldn’t start. A day of highs and lows but a solid base to build from.
A promising first Grand Prix.
Audi Revolut F1® Team wrote a piece of motorsport history as it scored points on debut, courtesy of a strong performance by Gabriel Bortoleto at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. The Brazilian, starting in P10, had a battling race, gaining a place by the chequered flag to finish ninth and bring home two points.
R:1 Melbourne | Race
GABRIEL BORTOLETO
P09
1:24.821
+2 Points
R:1 Melbourne | Race
NICO HULKENBERG
DNS
–
–
1 / 0
Gallery
First Race impressions.
Constructors Points
+2
First points for the team and P07 in the Constructors Championship
Nico Hulkenberg’s car developed a technical issue on the way to the grid and was returned to the garage ahead of the race start.
The team lost telemetry from the car and could not establish the cause of the issue: as a result, the team withdrew car #27 from the race. The team will investigate the problem in depth to understand it and prevent it from reoccurring.
Video
Jonathan Wheatley after the race.
Video
Gabriel's statement after scoring his first points
"A bittersweet day - and one that reflects our ambition."
Mattia Binotto
Quote
"To score points in our debut race shows the strength and dedication of this team. We will learn from today, resolve the issue that stopped Nico, and move forward together.
Congratulations
to Gabi on delivering the first points for Audi in F1."
"A composed, confident performance from Gabi secured points in our first Grand Prix – an important milestone for this team."
Jonathan Wheatley
Quote
"Gabi delivered an outstanding drive today. It was a very mature performance from start to finish. The start wasn’t ideal, which we expected might be a challenge here, but he kept his composure, managed the race extremely well and showed great confidence throughout. We chose an aggressive strategy towards the end with the final pit stop to try and put pressure on the cars ahead, and with a slightly different scenario in the closing laps we might even have had the opportunity to fight for P8."
Quote
"On the other side of the garage, it was obviously disappointing not to see Nico take the start. He was incredibly motivated for his first race with Audi Revolut F1® Team, so that was a difficult moment for him and for everyone in the team.
Ultimately,
leaving our first Grand Prix with P9 and points on the board is a fantastic way
to begin our journey. It’s a historic moment for Audi Revolut F1® Team and
something the whole team can be very proud of."
"Out before the lights went out - a technical issue stopped us on the way to the grid."
Nico Hulkenberg
Quote
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to compete today. We developed a technical problem on the way to the grid, and it was something we couldn’t resolve in time for the start. The team is investigating now to understand exactly what happened. It’s obviously frustrating to miss out on the race and the opportunity to learn more.
That said, it’s positive to see the team
finish with points through Gabi, which is a great result and a strong way to
start the F1® era for Audi. Racing moves quickly, so we reset and go again next
week.”
"Points in our first race as Audi - that’s a special one!"
Gabriel Bortoleto
Quote
“To finish in the points in our first event as Audi and writing a piece of motorsport history is something the whole team can be extremely proud of. It was a positive race at the end of a good weekend for us: the car and the power unit ran reliably throughout the day, which is a great reward for the enormous effort that went in over the winter to get everything ready for the season."
Quote
"The race itself was quite busy and at times a bit chaotic with the new regulations, so there are still many things for us to study and understand better. But the pace was strong, the communication in the garage was excellent and the team executed the race very well.
Overall, it is probably more than
we could have expected from the first weekend. This result gives us a good
baseline to build from, but we know there are still many areas where we can
improve. There are a lot of races ahead of us, and our focus now is on
continuing to learn, develop the car and come back even stronger at the next
events.”
Team recap.
Nico Hulkenberg couldn’t turn his strong 11th position on the grid into a battle for points, as a technical issue to his R26 sidelined before the formation lap. It was a disappointing outcome for the German, but one that shouldn’t cast a shadow his otherwise positive weekend. He will be keen to come back stronger in China.
As Audi Revolut F1 Team puts its name on the standings for the first time, the focus remains on progressing and improving from race to race. The next opportunity for a further step is already next week, with the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
The first race. The first points. The first celebrations.
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