By Fernanda Anselma
Audi’s official debut as a factory team in Formula 1 began with a historic result this Sunday (8). At the 2026 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto finished in ninth place and scored the first points for the German manufacturer in the category.
The race that opened the season was won by George Russell, who led a Mercedes one-two finish with Andrea Kimi Antonelli in second. Charles Leclerc completed the podium for Ferrari, while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished fourth.
The race officially marked the beginning of Audi’s new era in Formula 1. Although considered a newcomer on the grid, the team took over the structure of Sauber F1 Team at the end of 2025 and launched a new technical project, including the development of its own power unit within the current regulatory cycle of the category.
Bortoleto enters history as the first driver to score points for Audi in Formula 1
The result in Melbourne marked a symbolic moment for the team’s new era. With his ninth-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix, Bortoleto became the first driver to score points for Audi since the manufacturer’s official entry into Formula 1.
The Brazilian started from tenth place after putting the Audi into Q3 during qualifying. The driver began the race on medium tyres, made his first stop on lap 18 to switch to hard compounds, and returned to the pits again on lap 33 to complete a two-stop strategy. Bortoleto’s fastest lap of the race was 1:23.257, set on lap 45.
Amid a race marked by retirements, strategies under virtual safety car conditions, and incidents even before the start — including Oscar Piastri’s crash on the formation lap — Bortoleto remained consistent in the midfield and stayed close to the points positions throughout the race.
According to team principal Jonathan Wheatley, the driver’s performance was crucial to the result.
“Gabi drove an exceptional race. It was a very mature performance from start to finish. He stayed calm, managed the race very well and showed confidence throughout,” he said.
Wheatley also explained that the team adopted a more aggressive strategy in the final part of the race in an attempt to pressure the cars ahead.
“We opted for a more aggressive strategy at the end to try to put pressure on the cars in front. In a slightly different scenario in the final laps, we could even have fought for eighth place.”
On the other side of the garage, the weekend ended in frustration for Nico Hülkenberg. The German driver, who had qualified 11th, did not even start the race after a technical issue with his car before the formation lap.
“We developed a technical problem on the way to the grid and couldn’t fix it in time for the start,” the driver explained.
Despite his teammate’s retirement, Bortoleto highlighted the result as a milestone for the beginning of Audi’s journey in Formula 1.
“Finishing in the points in Audi’s first race and writing a piece of motorsport history is something the entire team can be proud of. It was quite an eventful race, and we still have a lot to learn and improve,” said the Brazilian.
Formula 1 returns to the track next weekend with the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, the second round of the 2026 World Championship.
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