2026 Australian Grand Prix - Saturday

The results from qualifying, on Audi Revolut F1 Team’s first qualifying of the year, give promise ahead of tomorrow’s race. Gabriel and Nico will aim to improve on their starting position as the team enters the battle for points for the first time.

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: “It was a tremendously encouraging qualifying session for the team, and seeing Gabi reach Q3 at the very first race for the Audi Revolut F1 Team is a special moment for everyone involved. It’s a strong reflection of the hard work that has gone into building this programme and getting us to this point.

“Unfortunately, we experienced a technical issue at the end of Gabi’s final run which prevented him from participating in Q3, and Nico also had a small problem that affected his last run in Q2.

“Overall, this is a very positive start for the team. It’s both encouraging in terms of performance, and a testament to the collective effort of so many talented people across the organisation.”

Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27):
FP3: 14th / 1:21.067 (22 laps)
Q1: 1:21.024 (10 laps)
Q2: 11th / 1:20.303 (8 laps)

“It was quite a busy qualifying for us. We had a few things to manage early on, so it took a bit of time to really find a rhythm. In the end I had one clean shot at a lap in Q2 and managed to put it together well, which puts us P11 - a solid place to start from. There’s a lot going on in the cockpit with energy management, tyres and traffic, so it keeps you fully focused every lap, but we’re learning more each time we run.

“Overall, it’s a positive day for the team. The long runs yesterday felt encouraging and we’re in a good position heading into the race. With these new cars there are still plenty of unknowns, so tomorrow could be quite open and we’ll aim to make the most of any opportunities.”

Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5):
FP3: 9th / 1:20.459 (19 laps)
Q1: 1:20.495 (6 laps)
Q2: 1:20.221 (8 laps)
Q3: 10th / No time set

“It has been a very positive qualifying for the team. Being in the top ten in our first race weekend as Audi Revolut F1 Team is something we can all be proud of, especially considering the amount of work that has gone in over the winter to bring this car together and make it competitive, and to build a new power unit from scratch.

“Of course, it is frustrating not to be able to take part in Q3 after making it through. We do not yet know exactly what caused the issue at the end of qualifying: I started to lose gears in the middle of the lap and could not make it back to the pits, so it is something we will analyse with the team. From what we have seen so far, it does not look like a major problem and hopefully we can fix it for tomorrow.

“The car has shown good potential. I don't think many people expected us to be fighting for a top-ten position so early, so it is a very encouraging start. Now the focus is on tomorrow. Starting from P10 gives us a good opportunity, and hopefully we can have a strong race and fight with the cars ahead.”