Audi endures mixed opening day at Suzuka as reliability issues disrupt progress
Audi experienced a day of contrasts on Friday at the Japanese Grand Prix, showing flashes of competitive pace while also battling reliability setbacks that limited their running.
The team began the weekend steadily, placing both cars just outside the top 10 in FP1, but their momentum was interrupted when Gabriel Bortoleto suffered a technical issue that sidelined him for most of FP2. Despite the challenges, Nico Hülkenberg delivered a strong performance in the afternoon session, giving the team reason for optimism heading into Saturday.
In FP1, both Audi drivers completed clean sessions, with Bortoleto edging Hülkenberg as they finished P11 and P12 respectively. The team appeared to have a solid baseline, but the afternoon brought complications.
Bortoleto was confined to the garage for the majority of FP2 due to an issue that ultimately required a precautionary gearbox change. He rejoined the session only in the closing minutes, completing a handful of laps on soft tyres.
Hülkenberg, meanwhile, carried the Audi flag with a competitive P7 in FP2, on a day where the midfield was separated by mere tenths.
Nico Hülkenberg finished P12 in FP1 (1:32.798) and P7 in FP2 (1:31.441). The German was encouraged by the team’s early progress: “We had two clean sessions, completed the full programme and built a good baseline.
"The car feels in a decent window, so it’s a positive starting point. The midfield looks very tight - closer than in the first two races - so it should be very competitive out there. We’ll review everything overnight, and the direction is clear with a good base to build on for tomorrow.”
Hülkenberg’s consistency and clean execution provided Audi with valuable data — and a much‑needed confidence boost after Bortoleto’s setback.
Gabriel Bortoleto ended the day P11 in FP1 (1:32.759) and P16 in FP2 (1:31.933), though his afternoon position was not representative due to limited running.
The Brazilian explained the situation: “The morning session was pretty straightforward, but we identified an issue early on in FP2 and we made the call to carry out a precautionary gearbox change as the swiftest way to get back out.
That meant losing some time in the garage, but the team did an incredible job turning the car around and getting me back out for the end of the session – I would like to say a big thank you to everyone for the effort and hard work.
“We still managed to get some laps in and gather useful insight, so we’ll take that and keep building from here, with one final practice session tomorrow before heading into Qualifying.”
