Hülkenberg builds on a strong Sprint performance, while Bortoleto rues a costly qualifying mistake.
Audi endured mixed fortunes at the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday, with Nico Hülkenberg securing two points in the Sprint before narrowly missing out on Q3, while Gabriel Bortoleto suffered a retirement and a disappointing qualifying session.
The German manufacturer showed encouraging pace around Marina Bay but ultimately fell short of reaching the final qualifying segment. Hülkenberg came close to breaking into the top ten, while Bortoleto’s final Q2 attempt was compromised by a mistake at Turn 14.
Despite the setbacks, both drivers remain hopeful of making progress in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Hülkenberg encouraged by Sprint points and qualifying pace
Hülkenberg provided Audi with its strongest result of the day, finishing seventh in a rain-affected Sprint marked by several incidents and retirements.
The German collected two championship points, a welcome result for a team that had not necessarily expected to finish so high under normal racing conditions.
« Overall, it’s been a positive Saturday, » Hülkenberg said.
« Scoring a couple of points in the Sprint was a nice bonus, and we’ll happily take them. »
The Audi driver was also satisfied with the team’s qualifying execution, despite narrowly missing out on Q3.
« Qualifying was clean as well. We tried a few things with the setup and gave everything in Q2, but ultimately we were just missing that little bit of extra pace to get into Q3. »
Although Hülkenberg failed to progress into the final qualifying segment, George Russell’s power unit penalty will promote him to tenth on Sunday’s starting grid.
The German believes that position offers a realistic opportunity to fight for further championship points.
« Starting tenth isn’t a bad position at a circuit like Marina Bay, » he explained.
« We’ll analyse everything tonight and hopefully we can fight for points tomorrow. »
Bortoleto frustrated by Sprint retirement
On the other side of the Audi garage, Gabriel Bortoleto endured a considerably more difficult Saturday.
The Brazilian’s Sprint ended prematurely after he was struck from behind in the final sector as the field bunched together following a Safety Car restart.
Although the damage to his car was relatively minor, it was enough to force him out of the race.
« It’s been a difficult Saturday for me, » Bortoleto admitted.
« This morning in the Sprint, everyone was bunched up in the final sector after the Safety Car restart, and I got hit from behind. »
« There was really nothing I could do. The damage was very limited, but unfortunately it was enough to make it impossible to continue. »
Bortoleto was particularly disappointed because the unpredictable conditions had created opportunities to gain positions.
« It’s a shame because a race like that offers plenty of opportunities, and there might have been points available today. »
Qualifying mistake compounds Bortoleto’s difficult day
Bortoleto’s fortunes did not improve during Grand Prix qualifying.
After successfully progressing into Q2, the Audi rookie made a mistake at Turn 14 on his final flying lap, running straight on and losing the opportunity to improve his position.
He eventually qualified 15th.
« Qualifying wasn’t great either, » Bortoleto acknowledged.
« I made a mistake on my final lap and went straight on at Turn 14. »
The Brazilian explained that he had struggled with grip throughout the session, making it difficult to put together a competitive lap.
« I didn’t feel like I had particularly good grip throughout qualifying, and I just couldn’t put the lap together. »
« Until that point, things were looking quite good, but the margins are small and mistakes are costly. »
Like his teammate, Bortoleto will gain one position on the grid following Russell’s penalty, moving up to 14th.
However, he acknowledged that recovering positions around Marina Bay will be challenging.
« Starting 14th tomorrow will be difficult because it’s a circuit where overtaking opportunities are very limited, » he said.
« But I’ll do my best, and we’ll see what progress we can make. »
Audi targets further points on Sunday
With Hülkenberg starting tenth and Bortoleto 14th, Audi heads into Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix with opportunities to build on its Sprint performance.
Hülkenberg’s seventh-place finish earlier in the day demonstrated the team’s ability to capitalise on unpredictable conditions, while qualifying highlighted how small the margins remain in the midfield.
Although Audi narrowly missed out on Q3, the team will look to maximise its strategy and race execution in pursuit of another points finish at Marina Bay.
