Nico Hulkenberg once again proved his class. At the brand-new Madring circuit in Madrid, the German driver finished 10th, salvaging a vital point for Audi. A clever strategy exploiting the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) proved to be the turning point that kept him in the points until the chequered flag.
The race was far from easy. Starting on soft tyres forced Hulkenberg to find an opening early. When Lance Stroll retired and the VSC was deployed in the early stages, Audi reacted immediately. Hulkenberg was called into the pits. The decision paid off: he rejoined just ahead of Esteban Ocon and secured a position that would have been difficult to achieve otherwise. “That was the key moment of our race,” he said proudly.
From then on, Hulkenberg's focus shifted to tyre management. The narrow Madring track and similar pace among rivals made overtaking nearly impossible. “Everyone had a similar pace, so there was no room to pass. We just had to hold position,” he added. This result marks his third consecutive top-10 finish after Belgium and Hungary, underlining Audi's consistency in the midfield.
On the other side of the garage, Gabriel Bortoleto had a tougher day. The Brazilian also had a chance to benefit from the VSC, but the strategy didn't work out. He finished 13th and once again missed out on points. “We were unlucky with the VSC. It changed our plans, and after that there were no more opportunities,” Bortoleto lamented. The difficulty of overtaking on this new circuit only made things worse.
Nevertheless, Bortoleto took positives from the weekend. He called it a valuable learning experience, especially after narrowly missing out on Q3 in qualifying. “I really like this track. The result isn't ideal, but it's not a disaster. Now we have a week to recharge before Baku,” he concluded.
For Audi, this extra point is crucial in the constructors' battle. They continue to press Haas, with Hulkenberg leading the charge. With consistent performances on challenging tracks, the German team is optimistic about closing the gap. “We've been at the top of the midfield for a while. Hopefully the big step forward will come soon,” Hulkenberg concluded.
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