Audi seven points behind Haas as Hulkenberg calls for flawless Mexico weekend

With five rounds remaining in 2026, Audi sit eighth in the teams’ standings, seven points behind Haas. At Thursday’s media day in Mexico, Nico Hulkenberg said Audi was “in striking distance” but needed to be “flawless” to turn opportunities into points. Both drivers had to avoid mistakes and the team’s operations had to be clean, he said. He described the midfield as extremely tight, usually involving Racing Bulls and Alpine.

Hulkenberg has finished 11th in three of the last four Grands Prix. In Austin, an anti-stall issue at the start cost him several positions. Bortoleto recovered from the back to 13th after penalties for new power-unit components, and Audi narrowly missed the top ten at the United States Grand Prix.

Bortoleto said Austin had been positive: he felt good in the car from FP1, and said Audi was in the top ten for most sessions. He believed a points finish had been possible but said his starting position prevented it. Before the Mexico race, he said he had no penalty and hoped to qualify well and score points.

Bortoleto believes Audi can close the seven-point gap over the remaining rounds, though he expects its pace to vary by circuit. The long straights in Mexico, he said, are “a little bit of a pain” for the team.