The pristine asphalt of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has long been the ultimate truth-teller for new F1 machinery, and for the debut of the Audi project, the test has unfolded with a side order of mechanical growing pains.
Red flags have punctuated the German manufacturer’s quiet winter air, mechanics have swarmed around a still-maturing machine, and lap counts have at times ticked upward far more slowly than hoped.
Yet inside Audi’s garage, there is no hint of alarm. For technical director James Key, the early issues are not warning signs but expected hiccups inherent in a new car’s birth.
The week began with a whimper rather than a roar when Gabriel Bortoleto’s Monday session was cut short after just 27 laps.
By Wednesday morning, the silence returned as Nico Hülkenberg triggered another red flag. For a brand synonymous with dominance in Le Mans and the dunes of Dakar, these early stumbles under the 2026 engine regulations are another stark reminder of the unique brutality of Formula 1.
Finding the Fundamentals
While external observers might see a team in trouble, Key views the intermittent downtime as the entire point of being in Spain.
Speaking after Wednesday’s running, he was quick to put the setbacks into perspective, noting that the complexity of a brand-new chassis paired with an inaugural power unit makes a seamless run nearly impossible.
“This test is a prove-out test of a very new car for everyone of course, but particularly for us with a very new power unit as well, the first Audi power unit, so this is all about reliability and getting the fundamentals figured out,” Key explained.
Addressing the lost track time, he was pragmatic about the necessity of these early failures.
“So I think on that basis, although we had a little bit of delay, or quite a bit of delay in the end actually, on the first day for various reasons which are all fixable – but this is why we test, we don't want to be discovering this in Melbourne – today has shown some better progress,” the Briton added.
The progress Key alluded to came in the form of a productive Wednesday afternoon. After Hülkenberg was sidelined by a minor mechanical setback, he bounced back to register 68 laps, providing the engineers with a vital stream of data.
“So, a little delay this morning, it was a hydraulic leak – real basic thing – but then this afternoon we've got back on track and we've done a lot of laps, so a step forward today I think,” Key added.
No Room for Surprises
In a sport where expectations can often weigh heavier than the cars themselves, Key is refusing to be rattled by the lack of a "perfect" debut.
When pressed on whether the team had been caught off guard by any of the reliability issues, his answer was a firm negative.
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“Nothing unexpected, actually,” Key insisted. “You know, I think had we run faultlessly from the outset, that would have been a very pleasant surprise.
“We've seen plenty of red flags; it's a very, very immature car still at the moment for everyone, but nothing particularly surprising.
“Like I say, this is really a mechanical test, the performance will become the priority later, but nothing surprising other than just working through everything we have to do.”
'We need laps on the car'
The focus for Audi now shifts toward the massive task of mapping their new power unit. For the engineers in Neuburg, these laps represent the first time their designs have moved from the static dyno to the dynamic reality of a race track.
“I think the really important stuff, yes,” Key said when asked if the team’s targets were still within reach.
“What we really needed to do is just get laps on the car. You know, our colleagues in Neuberg on the power unit side have got no track reference data at all.
“This is the first time they're actually going to get track data for their power unit and for the gearbox as well, so I think really it's a case of doing that and beginning to tune all these complex energy recovery strategies and all the various other things that go with the ‘26 car.”
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As the sun sets on the Barcelona shakedown, the "to-do" list remains formidable, but the confidence within the Audi camp appears unshaken.
“So at the moment, yes, I'd say on that basis we're on target," Key concluded. "Of course, the list is never ending in terms of what you really want to do, but provided we can have a good third day, I think we'll come away pretty pleased.”
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