The task before the holidays
To gain further points to equal Williams in the Constructors’ standings, or even surpass them: this is the objective of Audi on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the last on the calendar before the summer break. The German manufacturer, after Gabriel Bortoleto’s 9th place at the start of the season in Australia, had not reached the top-10 in subsequent GPs, at least until the last two races.
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Thanks to two eighth-place finishes at Silverstone and Spa, the Brazilian has allowed the Four Rings manufacturer to close in on Williams, with the two teams now separated by one point in the Constructors’ standings. In a moment of excellent form, combined with the crisis of the Grove team, the South American could therefore contribute to bringing Audi to eighth place at the Hungaroring, a circuit where last year he also achieved his best F1 performance with 6th place: “Having scored points in the last two races has given everyone a great boost, and it’s something we want to keep building on. We’ve made progress in recent weekends and now the goal is to confirm that in Hungary this weekend. I really enjoyed racing here last year, so I can’t wait to go back. It’s the last race before the summer break, so it would be fantastic to conclude the first part of the season with another great result for the whole team.”
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What is still missing
Audi’s mission would become even more feasible if Nico Hülkenberg managed to achieve what he has never managed to do so far, which is to finish a race in the points. A challenging season so far for the 38-year-old German, who commented on the eve of the Hungarian weekend after yet another disappointment in Spa: “The time available before Budapest is short, which is good. Spa is now behind us and we are now focusing immediately on the next race. Last weekend we showed we have potential, so the priority now is to have a smooth weekend. The Hungaroring is a completely different circuit and, if we can get the car into a good operating window from the start and avoid the problems that have recently penalized us, we should be in a good position to fight for the positions we want. It’s the last race before the summer break, so the goal is to do a good job and get something positive to take with us into the second half of the season.”
