Bortoleto Highlights Audi Efforts to Fix Barcelona Issues 2026

Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Gabriel Bortoleto has underlined that the Audi F1 Team is implementing secure and thorough measures to resolve the technical issues encountered during the Formula 1 2026 Barcelona shakedown, ahead of the official pre-season test in Bahrain.

Audi completed the first of its three scheduled running days this week on Monday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, marking an early milestone in the programme for its new car. However, the day was heavily curtailed after Bortoleto was forced to stop on track due to a technical issue, triggering a red flag and significantly limiting Audi’s mileage.

Bortoleto stressed that such interruptions were anticipated as part of the shakedown process, which is designed to expose early weaknesses before more representative testing begins. As a new entrant to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, Audi has approached the initial phase with an expectation of teething problems.

“We were doing a pretty decent job in the morning, putting some laps on the board and testing some things,” Bortoleto said.

“We were going in the right direction, but this is a shakedown and everything can happen.”

He explained that Audi deliberately used the Barcelona running to identify potential reliability concerns early, even if it meant sacrificing track time. Several issues were uncovered that proved significant enough to bring the day’s programme to an early end.

“We expected to find issues here and there in the car,” Bortoleto added.

“We found a couple of problems that unfortunately put us out of the day, basically from the morning already.”

Audi has joined the grid with a full works operation, including its own in-house power unit, and has set long-term ambitions of fighting for a world championship later in the decade. In the short term, however, the focus remains firmly on establishing a stable technical baseline ahead of the opening race of the season.

“We are trying to find everything now so we hopefully don’t find it in the next test or even in the first race of the year,” Bortoleto said.

“Overall, when we were running, it was positive.”

Bortoleto also highlighted the importance of gaining early familiarity with the new car, the 2026 technical regulations, and Audi’s power unit characteristics. With further running scheduled before the Bahrain test, he remains hopeful of logging more representative mileage next time he is behind the wheel.

“It was good to have a feel for the new car, the new regulations, the power unit and everything,” he concluded.

“Hopefully, on the next day I’m driving, I can get a few more laps on the board.”

With the Barcelona shakedown serving as an initial filter for reliability issues, Audi is now focused on implementing corrective measures before entering the more critical phase of pre-season testing. How effectively those fixes translate into consistent running will be a key indicator of Audi’s readiness for the opening stages of the 2026 Formula 1 season.