2026 Japanese Grand Prix - Preview

With a week away from the track since the previous round in Shanghai, the focus has been on continuing work behind the scenes as the team continues to learn about the new generation of cars. Armed with this knowledge, the team tackles the challenge of one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar: a track that leaves little room for error, but on which a clean and consistent weekend can bring rewards.

Mattia Binotto, Head of Audi F1 Project: “As we head into the third round of the season in Suzuka, the focus is increasingly on clean execution. Everyone, us as well as our rivals, is getting on top of the new cars so the margins for error become slimmer. We’ve seen encouraging signs in terms of pace over the first two races, but we understand there are areas where we can still improve – both in performance and execution. We’ve taken time to address the reliability issues we faced previously, looking to ensure they won’t happen again and that both cars will be able to run their full races without disruption. The journey continues: the target now is to keep building, keep learning and make the most of every opportunity.”

Nico Hulkenberg (Car 27): “Suzuka is always a special challenge: as a track, it can be really demanding, but also very satisfying when you get it right. The first two races have been a mixed bag – definitely some encouraging signs but also missed opportunities where we need to do better. The aim now is to put everything together and have a clean weekend and really get the most of what we can achieve. One of the highlights of the weekend will also be the fans: we always get an incredible welcome when we travel to Japan, it’s one of the things that makes this race unique.”

Gabriel Bortoleto (Car 5): “I am really looking forward to being back in Suzuka: it’s one of my all-time favourite circuits, and I really enjoyed driving here for the first time last year. Missing out on Shanghai last time out was obviously disappointing, but I know the team has worked hard to avoid a repeat of this issue. We’ve used the time back at the factory to keep working and try to extract a bit more from the car ahead of this weekend: the races in Australia and China showed we have a good base, and now it’s about building on that and making the most of the opportunities across the weekend.”