Nico Hülkenberg came within reach of another World Championship point at the Malaysian Grand Prix, but Audi ultimately left Sepang empty-handed after a series of difficult strategic calls. The German driver was particularly frustrated by a Safety Car that undermined Audi’s decision to switch back to slick tyres, while the team was later fined €30,000 for an unsafe release during a pit stop.
The turbulent Malaysian Grand Prix initially offered Audi a stroke of luck. After the start was aborted, the team was given an opportunity to correct its decision to send Hülkenberg onto slick tyres despite the damp conditions.
Hülkenberg admitted that choosing dry-weather tyres had been “too ambitious”, with the slicks struggling to generate sufficient grip on the wet track.
“In the past, it dried quickly here, but today we probably didn’t have enough sun,” the German explained.
Hülkenberg furious after Safety Car
As the circuit began to dry, Audi took another gamble by bringing Hülkenberg back onto slick tyres earlier than many of his rivals. For a brief period, the decision appeared to be working.
That opportunity disappeared almost immediately, however, when Valtteri Bottas spun into the gravel and triggered a Safety Car period.
Drivers who had remained on intermediate tyres were effectively handed a free pit stop, allowing them to change onto slicks without losing the time they would normally sacrifice under green-flag conditions.
Hülkenberg could only watch as the advantage of his gamble disappeared.
“I wanted to eat my steering wheel! That was awful. I felt brave, like a hero, it seemed to be going well until turn six, then the Safety Car came out,” Hülkenberg said.
Audi unable to recover
Even with the same strategic opportunities as its rivals, Audi ultimately lacked the pace required to turn Hülkenberg’s promising position into points.
The German struggled particularly in the final sector, where the Audi R26 was unable to match its competitors through the final corner and on the following straight.
“In the end, we simply weren’t strong enough overall. The final corner, in particular, caused us a lot of problems, and the straights were also very difficult,” Hülkenberg analysed.
He eventually finished 11th, with Arvid Lindblad overtaking him on the final lap to deny Audi a points-scoring finish.
The result was another frustrating near miss for Hülkenberg, who had seen a potential opportunity disappear despite Audi making several aggressive strategic decisions during a constantly changing race.
Audi fined €30,000 after pit-stop incident
Audi’s difficult afternoon continued after the chequered flag when the FIA imposed a €30,000 fine on the team.
The penalty followed an incident during one of Hülkenberg’s pit stops. The release signal turned green while a mechanic was still working on the car, prompting Hülkenberg to begin moving before stopping just 0.2 seconds later.
The driver explained that the mechanic’s screwdriver had apparently become caught during the stop.
“Somehow his screwdriver got stuck. It wasn’t the cleanest stop, but I hope he’s okay,” Hülkenberg said.
No one was injured during the incident. The FIA nevertheless determined that Audi was responsible for the unsafe release and imposed the financial penalty, with €20,000 of the €30,000 fine suspended.
For Hülkenberg, however, the bigger frustration was the missed opportunity on track. Audi had briefly looked capable of fighting for another point, only for the changing conditions and Safety Car timing to turn its strategy against it.
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The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
