Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley believes the German outfit is finding its footing and starting to look “like how an F1 team should operate” after an intensive week of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
The team’s early days were anything but simple. Merging the former Sauber structure with Audi’s own rapidly expanding powertrain division has created a winter of relentless activity, tight deadlines and countless moving parts.
Yet, amid the controlled chaos of the Bahrain test garage, Wheatley sensed something shifting – a growing sense of unity and rhythm.
“I’m encouraged that you’ve noticed that from the outside, because certainly internally, we’ve brought together these two groups of very, very talented people, chassis and powertrain, trying to knit them into a team in what’s been a very short winter,” Wheatley told reporters in Bahrain when queried on the team’s visible evolution between Barcelona and Bahrain.
From Shakedown to Standout
Audi’s first public laps in Spain with its 2026 challenger had felt like the opening rehearsal of an orchestra still tuning its instruments.
Sakhir, by contrast, brought longer runs, smoother pit operations and clearer lines of communication between engineers and drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, who together logged a heavy mileage tally.
“We haven’t even had the opportunity to get everyone together and have a beer, let alone a team-building event or something!” Wheatley explained.
“So, it felt like it was very early stages in Barcelona, and towards the end of this week now it’s starting to really look like how an F1 team should operate inside the garage, at least.”
He pointed not only to mechanical reliability but also to the human elements that often decide success in Formula 1’s unforgiving environment.
“Also, the communication in the team. We’ve had a few high-pressure situations, we’ve been working on it, we identified some target areas last year, and so far it seems to be en route to where we want to be.”
Testing More Than Just the Car
While fans and pundits tend to fixate on lap times and mileage, Wheatley emphasized that pre-season testing is as much an operational stress test as it is a technical one. Behind the scenes, every logistical link in the chain is being evaluated under real-world pressure.
“I think people focus a lot on the car when it comes to testing,” noted the Audi chief.
“We’re testing everything when we come here: your air freight systems, your logistics, getting people backwards and forwards, the operation in the garage, the communication to the driver, from the driver, between the team, your run plans…”
“You have so many engineers at testing, so many more people than you have at races, and every single person needs to have their say, and you need to build that into a picture and a run plan the next day. It’s a big challenge, and it shouldn’t be underestimated.”
The team subtly reworked its internal structure over the winter, particularly within engineering and operations – a decision Wheatley believes is already paying dividends.
“When I talk about the fact that we look more cohesive, I take a lot out of that. We changed the structure a little bit over the winter, certainly in engineering and operationally, and it looks like it’s bearing fruit.”
Bold Steps and Early Pride
Audi did more than just circulate laps in Bahrain. The squad arrived with visible aerodynamic updates, instantly sparking paddock curiosity and earning quiet approval from seasoned driver Hulkenberg.
It was a statement of intent from a team still months away from its official debut.
“I think I’m almost proud of where we are,” Wheatley said. “If you look, we passed our crash tests, we were the first team to be on track, we ran in Barcelona with a brand-new powertrain, and we’re here with a new aerodynamic package.”
For Wheatley, these milestones represent more than technical achievements — they are signals of character.
“It shows the ambition of the team. I think also it shows the boldness and creativity, because nobody else has come up with this solution. I think it’s a good indicator that we’re serious, but we’re humble from where we’re starting.”
In a sport where perception often lags behind preparation, Audi’s Bahrain performance may not have rewritten the timing sheets, but it has begun to reshape expectations.
The stopwatch will ultimately judge success, yet inside the garage, a different metric is already ticking upward: belief.
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