Audi F1 drivers reveal biggest engine limitation – and why they’re not worried
by Ronald Vording · AutosportGabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg acknowledge that the Audi power unit struggles in extreme heat. However, Bortoleto is confident Audi can overcome this limitation, partly based on its success in other racing categories
In theory, the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore should suit Audi well. The team led by Allan McNish would normally benefit from tracks on the Formula 1 calendar that are slightly less power-sensitive, but that rule of thumb does not necessarily apply in Asia.
Yes, in terms of outright power, the gap to the leading engine manufacturers should be smaller, but according to the drivers, another factor is causing Audi problems in the extreme conditions of Malaysia and Singapore.
“I think we have to be cautious and careful”, Nico Hulkenberg said during his Thursday media session.
“I think Malaysia brought some new things to light and these climatic conditions are not so favourable for our PU at the moment. We definitely had some struggles on that side and obviously here it's more of the same.”
Just as in Malaysia, the FIA has issued a so-called heat hazard declaration for the Singapore Grand Prix, indicating that temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius or higher are forecast. Hulkenberg therefore expects another challenging weekend.
“It is a less power-sensitive circuit on paper, for sure, but my personal expectations are not too high for the moment”, the German said.
Asked whether this is mainly related to cooling – with Audi having to open up more of the bodywork and consequently losing aerodynamic performance – Hulkenberg clarified that this is not the case.
“No, I think we suffer from power.”
This means that Audi is losing outright engine power in the extreme heat, an assessment shared by team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto.
“Yes, I would say that right now, especially in the last races, it’s our biggest limitation”, Bortoleto said when asked about the heat by Autosport.
“I think what we already have for our first season is something decent. We just need to make some more steps to improve drivability, the situations of the climatisation that you were mentioning, and yeah, that's it.”
However, Bortoleto is fully confident that Audi will take those steps and eventually become the benchmark in terms of engine performance in F1. The Brazilian draws that confidence partly from Audi's successes in DTM and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“If I trust them? Absolutely. I think they can fix it. These people in Neuburg have built the best engines in other series that they have taken part in in the past, and I have no doubts they're going to do the same in Formula 1.
“We just need to give them time. We cannot believe that we would arrive in Formula 1 in the first year and build the best thing ever made. It would make the others look like... I would swear right now, but you understood what I was going to say!
“So we need to have patience. I believe in the people that are there in Neuburg, and I believe they're going to make something great.”
Audi finds answers about its major upgrade package
While there are still areas for improvement on the power unit side, the German-Swiss team has now found answers regarding the major upgrade package it introduced in Baku.
The Baku City Circuit predominantly featured 90-degree corners and therefore did not provide a representative picture, but after back-to-back tests in Malaysia, it is clear that the upgrade has indeed been a step forward.
“Well, we concluded that it worked. It worked pretty OK, like we expected”, Bortoleto said.
“Entry, mid, exit of all the corners, I think we made a good step everywhere. There were a lot of doubts after Baku, because we had a tough weekend, about the package and if it worked or not. But I think now we can finally put a dot on this and say that we are sure that it worked as expected and that things are working in the right way.”
It also underlines that F1 teams often need some time to fully understand major upgrade packages and extract the maximum performance from them. In Audi's case, that has now happened, as Hulkenberg also confirmed when asked by Autosport.
“Yes, we are for sure closer [to understanding it]. The understanding obviously grows and builds with every session you do. You do different setup variations, you scan the delta to map, and in general you build your correlation between the track, the wind tunnel and CFD, so it's good.
“I think there's probably still some bits and bobs to explore and to discover, but it's not like we're going to get another second out of it or something.”
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- The Autosport.com Team
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