Jonathan Wheatley confident Audi know strengths and weaknesses of their car after Melbourne

Gabriel Bortoleto delivered the first points of Audi’s Formula 1 project with ninth place at Albert Park. The result gave the team an early reward for its first race weekend, although the event also exposed reliability concerns after Nico Hulkenberg was unable to start the race due to a technical issue.

Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley said: “Starting the season with points in Melbourne was a fantastic achievement for everyone involved, and a strong reward for the work carried out across our bases over the winter.”

Wheatley made clear the result does not change the reality of Audi’s situation as a new team: “We must not forget we are still at the beginning of our journey, so the focus remains on learning as much as possible and continuing to make progress from race to race.

"We already have some clear indications on the strengths and weaknesses of our package, and on what we need to work on to improve and close the gap to the front of the grid.”

The Chinese Grand Prix hosts the first Sprint weekend of the season. Teams will have only one practice session before Sprint Qualifying begins on Friday.

Wheatley said: “Looking ahead to Shanghai, the Sprint format means we will have very limited practice time, so it will be important to make the most of the time we have on track, especially when there is still so much to learn about this new generation of cars.”

Hulkenberg said the tight schedule offers a quick chance to move on from the frustration of Melbourne: “A new weekend, a new race. The nice thing about the compact F1 calendar is that you do not have to wait too long for another opportunity to get in the car and drive.”

The German believes the characteristics of the Shanghai circuit will provide a different reference point for the new car: “We were competitive with both cars in every session in Melbourne, and this is something that gives us confidence going to China. Shanghai is a very different track from Melbourne, and it will be interesting to see how these cars behave on the long straights we will have this weekend.”

Bortoleto remains cautious despite scoring points on debut: “Melbourne was a really encouraging start to our season. Scoring points in our debut race was something very special and a great moment for everyone who worked hard on this project.”

The Brazilian added: “At the same time, we remain grounded. It was only the first of many races ahead of us, and there is still a lot to learn and understand about our car.”

With the midfield expected to be tightly contested in Shanghai, Audi’s immediate objective remains straightforward. Extract performance from the R26 while continuing to build experience during its first Formula 1 season.