Bortoleto finds his rhythm on a strong Friday for Audi in Monaco

It was a beautiful sight to see Audi sporting a yellow-themed livery and race suits dedicated to Tazio Nuvolari, but the machine underneath was even more impressive. Gabriel Bortoleto managed a top-10 finish on Friday at the Monaco Grand Prix, proving that even with early issues in FP1, he could fight at the front of the midfield.

Alongside his team mate Nico Hulkenberg—who sat in P7 and P8 across the two sessions—Bortoleto claimed P9 twice. While the team has struggled to convert their pace into points since the season opener in Australia, Sporting Director Allan McNish is rightly optimistic. The car is clearly providing the confidence needed to push, and both drivers proved they could extract performance across all tyre compounds.

Bortoleto, 21, admitted he still sees room for growth. "In P2 everything felt smooth and clean, and I built up through the session," he said, noting the importance of understanding the car's balance before the critical qualifying phase. For a team that has been flirting with Q3 all year, this was a massive Friday.