The anticipated arrival of Audi in F1 shows some potential in terms of pure performance, but the team is heavily penalized by recurring reliability issues.
A contrast that perfectly sums up Audi F1’s start to the season.
Multiple Failures
“I don’t think we had a single identical problem, Bortoleto explained in Miami. To be honest, we had a lot of issues this weekend, but none were really the same.”
Audi’s difficulties are compounded by its lack of experience compared to other teams. On F1 TV, Jolyon Palmer pointed out: “They are the only team using Audi power units. So they have no feedback from other teams. Even during the shakedown, if they don’t run, they learn nothing from anyone else.”
Despite this, Audi’s sporting director, Allan McNish, remains confident about the team’s progress: “Obviously, we don’t want to have these kinds of problems, that’s for sure. But if you look closely, several engine manufacturers are currently facing difficulties. We are not the only ones affected. Everything is extremely complex. I’m not saying the rules should be simple, not at all. But you have to master all areas, and that’s what we have to manage to do.”
The Handicap of Starts
The Audi turbo, considered the largest on the grid, reportedly caused difficulties during starts. The team boss, Mattia Binotto, detailed the situation: “If I look at the start we had in Japan, for example, there was a lot of wheelspin on both cars. The drivers were therefore not yet applying the correct procedures at the start.”
“The car behaves as expected,” he believes. “It reacts correctly and the data is consistent with that from the wind tunnel and simulator, which is the essential basis when developing a car.”
Audi’s adventure in Formula 1 is therefore currently oscillating between promises and difficulties. It remains to be seen whether the German manufacturer will manage to solve these problems quickly enough to become competitive in the ultra-demanding world of F1.