By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Audi Revolut F1 Team delivered another highly encouraging performance at yesterday’s Belgian Grand Prix, successfully translating genuine front-running pace into a second consecutive points finish.
Gabriel Bortoleto drove a brilliantly calculated race to secure a superb eighth place.
Following an eye-catching performance during Saturday’s qualifying sessions, the young Brazilian delivered a flawless Sunday drive to safeguard crucial championship points.
While it proved to be a weekend of contrasting fortunes – with the car’s ultimate potential not fully reflected in the final classification on Nico Hulkenberg’s side of the garage – the overall speed showcased by the package has injected tremendous optimism throughout the entire outfit.
With only one grand prix remaining before the sport enters its traditional summer shutdown, yesterday’s performance offers proof of the team’s ongoing development breakthroughs as they prepare to finish the first half of the season on a high.
Allan McNish, Racing Director: “To come away from Spa with another points finish is a fantastic result for the team, especially at a circuit we didn’t expect to suit our car. Gabriel delivered an excellent drive from start to finish, and everyone executed when it mattered most.
“A special mention must go to the pit crew. A 2.1-second stop for Gabriel, followed immediately by a 2.7-second double stack for Nico, was a sensational piece of execution under pressure. Those stops put Gabriel ahead of the Racing Bulls at a crucial moment, and from there he managed the race brilliantly to secure another eighth-place finish.
“Nico’s afternoon was more challenging. We were able to gain track position through strategy, but we simply didn’t have the straight-line performance needed to attack or make further progress. That was frustrating because his pace was comparable to Gabriel’s, but he didn’t have the tools to fight the cars around him.
“Overall, we’ll gladly take the points and the positives from this weekend. Leaving Spa with another top-eight finish and another strong team performance gives us good momentum heading into Budapest next weekend.”
Nico Hülkenberg (Car 27): “There was a lot of fighting in the midfield today, but we paid the price for starting too far back and also losing a few positions at the start, which made the race even more difficult. From there, it was always going to be hard to recover.
“The encouraging part is that our race pace was competitive and we were right in the mix throughout. The Virtual Safety Car gained us a few seconds, but it probably needed to last just a little longer. Instead, I came out right behind Pierre [Gasly] and Liam [Lawson], got caught up in that battle and, with our lack of straight-line speed, it was difficult to make any further progress. The pace itself felt quite good by our standards, so that’s something we’ll take away, even if we need to review a few other areas.
“It’s great to see Gabriel score points for the team. It’s a well-deserved result and another positive outcome for everyone. Hopefully, we can build on that in Budapest, put together a clean weekend and give ourselves the chance to fight further up the order.”
Gabriel Bortoleto (Car 5): “I’m extremely happy with today’s result. I think we maximised everything we had this weekend, and that’s down to an incredible effort from the whole team. To achieve this in front of our team members from our bases in Hinwil, Bicester and Neuburg makes it even more special: they’ve worked so hard to get us where we are, and it’s great to share this moment with them.
“These consecutive points finishes are a huge boost for all of us. It’s a great feeling to know we are in the position to deliver results like this and keep fighting in the top ten now. That’s where we want to be, and where we belong, and we’ll keep pushing to get more – starting from Budapest in a week’s time, to wrap up the first part of the season on a high.”