Gabriel Bortoleto believes Audi would be fighting at the front of the Formula 1 field if it were not for the power unit deficit the German manufacturer is facing in its first season in the championship.
The Brazilian is convinced Audi's chassis is capable of much more than its current results suggest, with the team's lack of straight-line speed proving to be its biggest limitation.
That assessment comes despite Audi introducing an upgraded power unit via its ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) system at the previous round in Barcelona.
“I think today we maximised what we had, but unfortunately, as you said, it's a power unit track, I don't think I could have done much more with that,” Bortoleto said after qualifying at the Red Bull Ring.
“I mean, I need to thank the team, both Hinwil and Neuburg, the people from the factory trying to maximise the engine that we had on track, and trying to optimise all the energy deployment through the lap, because we knew we struggled, and it has been a struggle the whole weekend. But the good thing, and the thing that makes me optimistic, is that the car is in a good window. We brought an upgrade that worked very well.”
Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Bortoleto qualified 12th on Saturday, missing out on Q3 by just one tenth of a second. Asked whether the difference ultimately came down to Audi's lack of straight-line speed, he had no hesitation in suggesting the team could have been fighting right at the front with a more competitive power unit.
“Absolutely. I mean, I think if we had the same top speed as Mercedes or Red Bull, we would have been fighting for top three, just easy,” he said.
“I think you guys have access to GPS data, so you can compare the corners in Q2 and we are very quick in basically all the corners. We lose a lot on the straights. Don't get me wrong, we still need to improve our car, but I think we have been doing it, and I think we could easily be fighting there. We lose massively on the straights, unfortunately, but that's the reality right now.”
Pressed on whether that meant Audi currently had one of the three best chassis on the grid, Bortoleto agreed - at least around the Red Bull Ring.
“Looks like it. Obviously there are tracks that suit us a bit more and a bit less. I think this weekend I can say that we were on that side.”
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Originally published by motorsport.com —
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