Audi’s Formula 1 team boss opens up about the early setback – The German manufacturer’s first official Formula 1 test outing did not go entirely to plan, with technical difficulties being encountered on the opening day of running in Barcelona. Team principal Jonathan Wheatley has now provided insight into what went wrong and why the team chose to halt its programme early.
“We have decided to turn off the car.”
Speaking after the session, Wheatley confirmed that Audi had detected a technical issue with its new R26 challenger and had made the cautious decision to stop running altogether.
“We had a technical problem with the car, we discovered it and decided to shut the car down on the track,” explained the former long-time Red Bull sporting director.
“We’ve done a lot of testing this year and really wanted to understand the problems, so we analysed them carefully.”
Although the issue prevented Audi from completing its planned programme, Wheatley emphasised that the team’s approach was deliberate. With the 2026 regulations representing a significant change for Formula 1, Audi is prioritising reliability and understanding over short-term mileage.
READ MORE – First images and lap times from F1 Barcelona pre-season test
A shortened day for Bortoleto
The setback also affected Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hülkenberg’s teammate, who was driving the R26 during Monday morning’s session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. After completing an initial run plan, the Brazilian was forced to stop early once the problem emerged.
“It was a somewhat short day,” admitted Bortoleto. “We did a pretty good job in the morning, completed some laps and tested a few things. We were on the right track.”
The 21-year-old acknowledged that early issues were always likely during a shakedown test, particularly for a brand-new works team entering the sport for the first time.
“As we expected, it’s a shakedown, anything can happen,” he added. “We expect to find some issues with the car here and there.”
Despite the interruption, Bortoleto said the experience was valuable, particularly in terms of adapting to the new regulations and Audi’s power unit.
“Overall, it was good to get a feel for the new car, the new regulations, the power unit, and so on,” he concluded.
Weather and limited running
Like most of the grid, Audi opted not to return to the track on Tuesday, as poor weather conditions limited the usefulness of additional running.
Under current rules, Formula 1 teams are only permitted to run their cars on three of the five scheduled test days in Barcelona, so making the right strategic choices is essential.
READ MORE – Aston Martin confirms full driver lineup for the 2026 F1 season
A “fantastic” debut for Wheatley
Despite the early setback, Wheatley described his first official Formula 1 appearance with Audi as a deeply positive experience.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “When you stand here and see this completely new infrastructure, what this team has achieved in such a short time, And when we see the car on the track today, in all its glory, you have to pinch yourself to believe it’s really true.”
Audi has taken over the former Sauber operation and will compete as a full works team, with the long-term ambition of winning the World Championship by 2030. For now, the focus remains firmly on learning, even if that means switching the car off when necessary.
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RB22 in the hands of Verstappoen: Day 2 Barcelona 2026
Formula One’s biggest technical regulation change in history for 2026 had many amongst the teams, the FIA and FOM concerned they would be perceived a failure at early testing. The first of the pre-season tests – although for contractual reasons with Bahrain its called a shakedown – is now into day two at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Just 39 days after Lando Norris claimed his maiden F1 championship the teams are ready to go with all new cars and powertrains. Yet there have been casualties along the way, with Williams not in attendance for a variety of technical reasons. The first being thy have repeatedly failed the FIA’s crash test for the nose cone together with the fact the car is vastly overweight.
McLaren too have delayed the start to testing their car and Aston Martin have indicated the most they will achieve is some running on the final two days this week. However, seven teams and all the power unit manufacturers with the exception of Honda, were on track as the lights went green in Montmelo on Monday morning. All eyes were on Red Bull who are the first ever F1 customer team to build their own power train, with many expecting them to fall at the first hurdle.
Russell impressed with Red Bull
Yet the sleek RB22 in the hands of Max Verstappen’s new team mate Isack Hadjar, was impressive, even drawing attention from rival drivers and teams. When asked about how the day had gone for Mercedes, George Russell chose to name check the team’s arch rivals Red Bull along with Ferrari as having stand out days.
“For sure we’re very pleased with the day, but I was pretty impressed with a number of other teams, to be honest,” he said.“You see the Red Bull-powered teams, [with] a brand-new power unit, and they had a really smooth day with two cars. Haas did the most laps of everyone with a Ferrari engine.
“So it’s not quite 2014 vibes of half the grid is breaking down and having loads of issues. Formula 1 has evolved so much since then and the level is just so high, from every single aspect. It was pretty impressive to see all the teams on the whole having a lot of laps under their belts on day one,” the Mercedes’ driver concluded.
Whilst the day and the week was supposed to be a black out to the media, the vantage points around the circuit were filled with fans and long lenses alike. Security teams were sent to gently move folk along, although this merely saw them pop up at another viewpoint around the circuit…CONTINUE READING THIS STORY
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