Gabriel Bortoleto’s cool and clean drive at Spa proves Audi can fight

It was a result that felt like a proper statement. At the demanding Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Gabriel Bortoleto drove his Audi to an eighth-place finish, effectively winning the unofficial midfield battle. Audi Racing Director Allan McNish hailed the performance as “cool and clean,” and frankly, it is hard to disagree. While Bortoleto had matched this same P8 result two weeks prior at Silverstone, Spa was different—this time, every driver ahead of him belonged to the four frontrunning teams.

Going into the weekend, there were real concerns about this being a power track. Audi’s acknowledged power unit deficiency suggested they might struggle, yet the strength of their chassis and aerodynamic package was enough to push Bortoleto into Q3 and the top ten on the grid. It was not all smooth sailing, however. Audi’s season-long weakness at the start surfaced again, with Bortoleto losing spots to Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto on the opening lap. While he gained one position due to George Russell’s early demise, subsequent moves by Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar—both recovering from back-of-the-grid penalties—dropped him to P11.

For a moment, the points looked like a distant dream. But then came the tactical masterstroke. While the rest of the midfield group, including Arvid Lindblad, Lawson, and Colapinto, opted for early stops, Audi played the long game. When the Virtual Safety Car arrived, it handed the German squad the perfect opening to pit both cars. Bortoleto jumped his rivals, slotting into P8, and spent the remainder of the race successfully holding off Lindblad to secure the points.

McNish was clear about the strategy, noting, “For us it was quite clear we could go long, and we were good on the tyre.” He pointed out that while the VSC offered an assist, the team would likely have been in the points regardless. More importantly, he was impressed by how Bortoleto managed the gap, keeping a steady two and a half to three-second cushion to the cars behind. By finishing ahead of the Racing Bulls, the team showed a clear evolution from Silverstone, where they had trailed that same duo.

Now, the focus shifts to the Hungaroring. It is a very different, significantly shorter, and hotter venue, which might play more to the strengths of the current Audi chassis. Yet, McNish remains cautious, expecting a tight fight with the Racing Bulls and Alpine teams. He knows that in this midfield pack, you cannot afford to drop the ball. If they can continue to deliver on both qualifying and race pace, they might just keep this momentum rolling.