McNish says Hülkenberg's start left Audi fighting back in Austin

After the United States Grand Prix, Audi boss Allan McNish said the team was on a “fight-back mission” by Turn 1 after Nico Hülkenberg fell from 11th to 15th when his car entered anti-stall. Hülkenberg recovered to 11th with a 29-lap run on soft tyres, finishing 7.439 seconds behind Pierre Gasly. He missed the chance to score for a sixth time this season.

Hülkenberg said anti-stall engaged only after the car had moved a few metres, a delay he described as odd. He said he still needed to check exactly what had happened. After passing the easier cars, he faced a large gap to Gasly and Liam; he said similar pace made it difficult to close.

McNish said Audi's pace was close to that of the fastest Alpine and Racing Bulls, and that the team was catching Gasly at the end. He also said Audi could have run the soft tyres longer than it did, although the team chose a different strategy.

Team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto climbed from 21st after an engine penalty to 13th, leaving both Audis outside the points. McNish said the team had reached close to its maximum unless another car retired; none did.