Bortoleto claims Audi has a top-three chassis but power unit is costing them dearly

Gabriel Bortoleto has made a striking assessment of Audi’s first-season F1 package, claiming the team’s chassis is capable of fighting at the very front of the grid — and that only the manufacturer’s power unit deficit is holding it back.

The Brazilian qualified 12th at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday, missing out on Q3 by just one tenth of a second. Despite that result, Bortoleto was unequivocal when asked whether a more competitive power unit would have changed the picture entirely.

“Absolutely. I think if we had the same top speed as Mercedes or Red Bull, we would have been fighting for top three, just easy,” he said after qualifying. “We lose a lot on the straights. Don’t get me wrong, we still need to improve our car, but I think we could easily be fighting there.”

The assessment is a notable one given that Audi had already introduced an upgraded power unit at the previous round in Barcelona via its ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) system. Bortoleto acknowledged the upgrade had made a positive difference to the overall package, but made clear that straight-line speed remains the team’s most pressing limitation.

“We brought an upgrade that worked very well,” he said. “The good thing, and the thing that makes me optimistic, is that the car is in a good window.”

Bortoleto pointed to GPS corner-speed data as evidence of the chassis’s underlying competitiveness, suggesting rivals and observers could verify his claims directly. “You guys have access to GPS data, so you can compare the corners in Q2 and we are very quick in basically all the corners. We lose massively on the straights, unfortunately, but that’s the reality right now.”

When pressed on whether that amounted to a claim that Audi currently possesses one of the three best chassis on the grid, Bortoleto stopped just short of a blanket statement — but confirmed it applied at the Red Bull Ring. “Looks like it. Obviously there are tracks that suit us a bit more and a bit less. I think this weekend I can say that we were on that side.”

The comments will raise expectations around Audi’s trajectory as the team continues to develop its power unit ahead of its full works entry, with the chassis clearly impressing its lead driver even if the results sheet has yet to reflect it.