A risk worth taking: Hulkenberg on the Canada gamble
It was the gamble that could have defined the Canadian Grand Prix, yet for Audi, it became a disaster that left them scrambling. Minutes before the 68-lap race began in Montreal, with light rain hinting at a storm, Nico Hulkenberg and teammate Gabriel Bortoleto took the bold decision to start on intermediate tyres. It was a strategy shared by others—notably Carlos Sainz and the McLaren and Cadillac squads—but it backfired in the most painful way possible.
As the rain eased and the tarmac dried, the intermediate tyres became a liability, forcing the pair into early pit stops that cost them dearly. Hulkenberg, who began in P11 and eventually finished P12, called it "a risk worth taking with what we knew at the time," though he admitted the team lacked the pace to claw their way back afterward. Bortoleto had an even tougher Sunday; starting in P13, he was hit with a five-second penalty for a Virtual Safety Car infringement, ultimately classifying in the same position.
For a team currently sitting P9 in the Constructors' standings, the weekend was a bitter pill. Aside from Bortoleto’s P9 finish in Australia, the F1 newcomers have yet to find their footing in the points. While Bortoleto managed to find a silver lining by focusing on the data collected, the reality remains: Audi still has a massive mountain to climb.
