Unable to complete his full schedule in the first free practice sessions in Suzuka, Gabriel Bortoleto had a compromised start to the weekend at the Japanese GP, which reduces his margin of reaction in the stage.
After an adaptation start to the season, with a top 10 in the Australian GP and a setback in the following race, in China, when he was unable to even start because of a mechanical problem, the Brazilian treats the Japanese race as an opportunity to recover within the Audi project.
“It was a Friday with mixed feelings,” said Bortoleto. “The morning session went very smoothly, but we identified a problem right at the start of FP2 and decided to do a preventive gearbox change, as the quickest way to get back on track. This meant wasting time in the pits.”
The Brazilian acknowledged the loss, but highlighted the team’s effort to minimize the damage on a weekend in which it tries to react even with limited preparation — in the early hours of this Saturday (28), he competes for classification at 3 am (Brasília time). The race, in the early hours of Sunday (29), is scheduled to start at 2am.
Bortoleto knows that there is still room for improvement, even though he already scored points in the first stage of the season, when he completed the race in Australia in ninth. Audi’s start indicates that there is potential in the car, even though the project is in its early stages.
“In today’s F1, efficiency and energy management are determining factors of performance,” an Audi spokesperson told Sheet. “Hybrid system integration is one of the biggest complexities.”
According to the team, the scenario requires precision in setup and consistency throughout the weekend, which increases the impact of any limitation on track time, as Bortoleto suffered in Japan.
The German team, in fact, started the season solidly and managed to score points in the first race, something unusual for recent newcomers in the main category of world motorsport. The performance indicates a consistent competitive basis, although the planning foresees gradual evolution before fighting for higher positions on the grid.
Off the track, the team’s moment is also one of transition. Audi confirmed the departure of boss Jonathan Wheatley after just two rounds of the season, citing personal reasons, and transferred his duties to Mattia Binotto, responsible for the project in the category.
The change requires an internal reorganization in the midst of a project that already foresees progressive growth in the first years. “The focus in the first few years is to build a solid foundation and evolve consistently from season to season,” said the Audi spokesperson.
Commenting on Wheathley’s departure, Bortoleto stated that, when there are important personal matters, they naturally become a priority, above any professional commitment. “I think he couldn’t fully commit to the project because he had personal matters that he made public, and when you have personal matters that need to be resolved, that’s the priority,” he said.
Wheatley was one of the leaders of the project that took Audi to F1, attracted by the category’s new regulations, which combine profound changes in aerodynamics and power units. The regulation increased the weight of electrification, with around half of the power coming from electrical systems, and introduced 100% sustainable fuels, bringing the category closer to the challenges faced by the automotive industry.
For the German automaker, the championship works as a platform for technological development. Greater freedom in working with batteries and energy recovery systems opens up space for advances in efficiency, energy management and integration between engine and chassis, elements that are also central to street cars.
In this context, F1 once again attracted large manufacturers by offering an environment more aligned with the demands of the automotive industry.
