Audi progress not to be judged until ‘the end of the year’ - McNish

Audi’s 2026 Formula 1 project is already under the microscope, but racing director Allan McNish is asking for something far less immediate than verdicts after four races.

The man overseeing the German manufacturer’s efforts in F1 has moved to reset expectations around the team’s turbulent start, urging patience and perspective in a season where progress is being built in fragments rather than headlines.

After a mixed opening phase to the campaign, Audi’s message is becoming increasingly consistent: the stopwatch may fluctuate, but the real judgement will come much later.

‘Race four for a new team’ – patience over panic

Audi’s debut phase in 2026 has been defined by a split identity. There have been flashes of competitive single-lap pace that hint at real midfield disruption potential, but those moments have been repeatedly undermined by poor starts, operational inconsistencies, and reliability setbacks that have blunted points-scoring opportunities.

The result is a season that looks more volatile than progressive on paper – even if the internal picture is more optimistic. McNish, however, is not interested in premature conclusions.

The Scot’s focus is on here and now, which means Audi’s next race next week in Montreal, where it is heading with more upgrades in its crates.

“Yeah, we will be,” he said when asked about the team’s development plans. “Canada is quite specific, and so is Monaco. In reality, those are pretty specific circuits - the same as Monza is a little bit more related towards Canada. But we do have things.

“We had four upgrades in Miami - some front brake ducts - but small relative to what the majority of the competition had.

“I think we’ve got to remember as well, this is race four for a new team. Sauber was there before, but it’s also the integration of the Audi power unit into that system as well.

“Therefore, judge us at the end of the year.”

The framing is deliberate. Audi is not simply evolving an existing entry – it is fusing a new works identity with an inherited structure from Sauber while simultaneously bedding in its own power unit concept.

In McNish’s view, that complexity alone makes early-season verdicts inherently misleading.

The call to “judge us at the end of the year” is less a defensive posture than a challenge: wait for the full arc before defining the narrative.

Underlying pace, visible cracks, and a closing field

Even amid inconsistency, Audi’s weekends have not been devoid of encouragement. Miami, in particular, offered a snapshot of what the project could become when execution aligns with raw pace.

Despite bringing fewer upgrades than most rivals at a track where ten of eleven teams introduced developments, Audi still managed to remain intermittently competitive. The issue, as ever, has been turning potential into points.

McNish pointed to both performance positives and structural realities shaping the team’s trajectory:

“The raw pace of the car [was strong], and also, when you talk about Nico [Hulkenberg], I’ve got to say, from what he did with the problem to qualify on the edge of Q3 was pretty impressive and it showed his experience,” he explained.

“Certainly, we know that, like it always is, when you’ve got a new regulation for a new season and there are bigger gaps, those naturally close down.

“So the gaps that we can see - the likes of Williams improved their race performance in Miami, so it is going to get harder and harder. It’s not as if we can sit on our pace, we have to improve in other areas as well.

• Read also: McNish ‘more nervous’ on Audi pitwall than at any time as a driver

“But ultimately, I think the underlying car performance, chassis performance, is really good.”

For Audi, that “underlying” strength is the crucial bargaining chip. It suggests the platform is not fundamentally flawed – merely underdeveloped in execution, operations, and integration.

Amid a tightening of Formula 1’s broader field dynamics. McNish’s warning is implicit: early-season gaps are not stable currency, and with rivals evolving aggressively, Audi is effectively asking for something rare in modern Formula 1: time without judgment.

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