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Motorsport

Who slept worst last night: Mattia Binotto

Audi Mattia Binotto Gabriel Bortoleto Nico Hulkenberg Gernot Dollner Miami Andy Hone LAT Images Aston Martin Cadillac

The first weekend in Formula 1 went almost like a fairy tale for Audi. Gabriel Bortoleto managed to break into Q3 right away in qualifying and immediately bagged the first points with a ninth-place finish in the race – all under the watchful eyes of CEO Gernot Dollner.

Dollner had travelled all the way to Melbourne, despite having to attend a Volkswagen Group supervisory board meeting on Friday – meaning he spent more time in the air than on the ground with his new premium product.

But it was worth it: Audi celebrated its first points, and upon his return to Ingolstadt, Dollner didn't miss the chance to speak to the employees at the Audi plant about the significance of the Formula 1 programme for the brand.

Audi seemed to have arrived.

Two months later, however, one has to admit: those two points from Melbourne remain the manufacturer's only highlight of the Formula 1 season so far.

Positive headlines the corporation can actually sell? Nowhere to be found.

A stricken Audi is an all too familiar sight (Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images)

Instead, it abruptly lost its team principal, Jonathan Wheatley, the man who was supposed to lead the brand into this new era. On top of that, there are numerous technical issues that are more reminiscent of the mockingly titled "Silver Torches" of McLaren’s 2004 season.

At least Audi’s cars are silver, too. And as for how to throw a proper American barbecue – we got to see plenty of that from the R26s of Nico Hulkenberg and Bortoleto in Miami.

Let’s be honest: the fact that in half of the (sprint) races this season, only one Audi was even able to make the start, simply doesn't fit the self-image of a major manufacturer.

Hulkenberg missed the season opener in Australia, Bortoleto missed the next race in China, and now it was Hulkenberg again who couldn't take part in the Miami sprint because his car went up in smoke on the way to the grid.

By the way, Audi likes to refer to such incidents as "technical issues" without really making an effort to provide clarity – at least that’s my impression. While other teams usually provide information via X or WhatsApp distribution lists about what went wrong, Audi remains tight-lipped.

Of course, the team must be allowed to find the cause before releasing information, but even two weeks after his DNS in Australia, all we heard from Hulkenberg was: "No, I can't say anything more about that. No details, sorry."

But back to Miami, because we haven't even hit rock bottom yet: besides Hulkenberg, who couldn't participate in the sprint, there was also Bortoleto, who managed to bring his R26 to the finish line – only to be disqualified after the session.

The reason: the engine intake air pressure exceeded the prescribed limit of 4.8 barA. Admittedly, that’s creative, that’s new. "I’ve rarely heard of that mistake," remarked Sky expert Timo Glock, looking quite stunned.

Gabriel Bortoleto was disqualified from the Miami sprint race (Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images)

And yet, in Mattia Binotto, Audi has an experienced engine engineer as project leader – a man who, given the frequent breakdowns and the recent unrest at the top of the team, is surely anything but well-rested right now.

Audi has definitely filled its bingo card of mishaps in the sprint. The results for the two short races so far read: 1x DNS, 1x DNF, 1x DSQ – only Hans Heyer did it better, and he only needed one race for that. The only countable result was Bortoleto's 13th place in China.

But for anyone who thought a DNS and a DSQ were enough for one day: think again!

For a long time, it was uncertain whether Bortoleto would be able to participate in qualifying afterwards. The Brazilian had a gearbox problem, and the men and women in the garage had a mountain of work.

Double praise here: Audi actually communicated what the problem was and got the car back on track in time. However, it wasn't enough for Bortoleto to set a competitive time – and on the cool-down lap, his car ground to a halt again and caught fire. The second barbecue of the day. And they say we don't give the Americans a show!

Mattia Binotto has a lot of work ahead of him (Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images)

At least Hulkenberg had a good starting position for Sunday: thanks to Isack Hadjar’s disqualification, the German was allowed to start from the top 10. But already in the first lap, he suffered front wing damage and had to pit for a change. A few laps later, he parked the car in the garage (Reason: "technical issue").

Binotto still has a lot of work ahead of him at Audi. Six retirements, non-participations, or disqualifications in as many sprint and grand prix races is hardly a badge of honour.

Of course, Audi has to find its feet in Formula 1 first, but even total newcomers Cadillac only has two retirements on its list.

And, careful, now it gets really bitter: Aston Martin has managed more finishes this season than Audi. I’ll just leave that there (and Audi knows a thing or two about being left standing).

Naturally, Audi much prefers the fact that at least the pace is there. And you can’t argue with that. Unlike Cadillac and Aston Martin, it at least has a shot at points. Reliability is something that can be worked on, so that eventually it can reap the rewards instead of leaving the basket behind before they even start.

Maybe someone should buy Dollner a flight ticket to Montreal already. Then things might just click again.