The competition director of Audi F1 Allan McNish praised the reflexes of Nico Hülkenberg, who narrowly avoided Gabriel Bortoleto’s stricken car at the end of the first lap: every man for himself!
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Allan McNish revealed how close Audi came to a disaster scenario during the Dutch Grand Prix.
The scene took place at the exit of the last corner of Zandvoort. Moments after Max Verstappen’s violent crash, Bortoleto also lost control of his car and ended up across the track.
Mental strength and instinct
The Brazilian raised a large cloud of smoke, significantly reducing the visibility of the drivers behind him. Among them was his own teammate Hülkenberg. The German, traveling at high speed, had only a fraction of a second to react. He immediately chose to go left and managed to slip past Bortoleto’s Audi without touching it.
A decisive maneuver that probably prevented the team from a double retirement on the first lap. McNish experienced the scene up close as he was simultaneously following the onboard cameras of both his drivers: “I watch their two onboard cameras and live every second with them, that’s why my hair is turning white very quickly right now.”
For the former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, this type of situation does not rely solely on reflexes. The driver must be able to almost instantly analyze the trajectory taken by an out-of-control car: “There are two factors. First, when something happens in front of you, there is a mental process, but also instinct. You have to instinctively know where to go and what to do.”
Life-saving reflex
“Some people have it, others don’t,” he observes. “When the car starts to spin, it heads in a certain direction, follows a trajectory, and then you have to have this instinctive judgment ability: how far to go and in which direction?”
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The particular layout of Zandvoort made the situation even more complicated, especially due to the banking of certain parts of the circuit: “With a car on a banking, it’s different because it tends to go up rather than down. That’s why I was also very impressed by what Gabriel managed to do to keep it in the middle of the track and prevent it from going into the wall.”
However, McNish remains unable to determine exactly what allowed Hülkenberg to avoid his teammate: “Whether it was instinct, talent, concentration, or something else, I don’t know. But it was quite a rescue.”
Audi avoids a double retirement
Bortoleto also deserves some praise. Despite his spin, the Brazilian managed to prevent his car from ending up in the barriers before getting back on track and continuing his race. In a few seconds, Audi could have lost both cars. Instead, Hülkenberg managed to avoid his teammate while Bortoleto regained control of his car.
The event mainly highlighted the importance of reflexes and anticipation at this level. Hülkenberg has regularly demonstrated these qualities throughout his long Formula 1 career, and his reaction at Zandvoort provided another example.
For Mattia Binotto, the head of Audi F1, and his deputy McNish (photo above), the spectacular incident ultimately turned into immense relief: what seemed likely to result in a double retirement cost the team no cars.
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