Audi's race director highlighted the Brazilian's performance, who started from the back and finished 12th. Hülkenberg, for his part, retired due to a technical issue and the team has two points so far this season.
Audi left Miami without scoring points, but with one certainty: Gabriel Bortoleto had a remarkable race. The Brazilian, who had to start from the back of the grid after technical problems in qualifying, fought back to twelfth position and this led Allan McNish, the team's race director, not to hold back on praise.
"It couldn't have ended in a better position. In terms of performance, it was clear to us that we were very strong in the first sector. Gabriel did a very good, balanced race and managed everything very well," McNish declared.
The executive's analysis went further, McNish assured that, had it not been for the adverse circumstances, Bortoleto would have entered the points zone: "If he had started from where he usually qualifies, in tenth or eleventh position, he would have finished in the points," he stated. The same luck, he considered, could have been shared by Nico Hülkenberg had it not been for a technical problem that forced him to retire.
The German, who had started tenth, saw his weekend broken by a breakdown that also prevented him from taking the start in Saturday's sprint race: "If we had had a clean race, the same applies to Nico," McNish stated.
Audi's race director also pointed out the difficulties Bortoleto encountered in his comeback: "When we came across traffic, overtaking the others was not as easy as we would have liked. I hope we don't find ourselves in the situation of having to overtake them again, as happened today," he added.
The overall balance, however, was positive for the German team: McNish highlighted the car's performance in the first sector of the Florida circuit, an area that had traditionally been resistant to the team, that strength, combined with the driver's good management, allowed Bortoleto to climb positions despite starting from the back.
The 2026 season for Audi now has two points. Both were scored by Bortoleto in Australia, on the team's debut. The Brazilian currently sits fifteenth in the drivers' championship, while Hülkenberg is eighteenth, still without units. In the constructors' world championship, Audi is ninth, only ahead of Cadillac and Aston Martin.
The next challenge will be in Canada, from May 22 to 24. McNish trusts that, if they achieve a clean qualifying and avoid the technical problems that have weighed down their start to the season, Audi can fight for points regularly: "There wasn't necessarily a specific problem, more than what we know about the situation we find ourselves in right now," the executive clarified.