Marco Rossi · F1 Correspondent
Gabriel Bortoleto led the internal teammate comparison for much of the season, but since the summer break, Nico Hülkenberg has been the one scoring points for Audi.
Thirteen to ten points, that's how the internal Audi duel stands after the Singapore Grand Prix. On paper a narrow lead for Nico Hülkenberg, but in how it came about, a small turning point emerges: at the season's midpoint, Gabriel Bortoleto had collected ten of Audi's then twelve points, with Hülkenberg at two. Since then, only the German has scored.
A first half plagued by failures
Hülkenberg's first half was a series of setbacks that had little to do with his driving performance. He couldn't even start in Australia, and suffered retirements in Miami, Barcelona, and Silverstone. In Barcelona, a piece of gravel kicked up by Liam Lawson's Racing Bull car hit the safety switch of his car and triggered an automatic shutdown, after which the car wouldn't start again at the pits. Hülkenberg didn't score his first points until the eleventh race, with ninth place in Hungary.
Bortoleto made the most of this period. The Brazilian, in his second Formula 1 season, finished eighth in both Silverstone and Spa, and led the race duel 7-4 at the midpoint. In qualifying the picture was more balanced, with Hülkenberg holding a narrow lead 6-5, as Formula 1's mid-season review showed.
Four points finishes in seven races
After the summer break, the picture flipped. In Zandvoort, Hülkenberg worked his way from twelfth to eighth after the restart, and Madrid brought another point with tenth place. He delivered his strongest performance at the Singapore Grand Prix: seventh in the sprint, eighth in the Grand Prix, where he ultimately held George Russell behind him. Six points in one weekend. “What a way to finish the weekend,” Hülkenberg said afterward.
Bortoleto, meanwhile, has failed to score since the summer break. In Singapore, he retired early from fourteenth on the grid, with the team suspecting a gearbox issue. “Overall a weekend to forget for me,” the Brazilian said. For Audi, the points of both drivers ultimately matter: with Hülkenberg's six points in Singapore, the team stands at 23 points in the constructors' championship and sits eighth, seven points behind Haas.
Binotto planning with both drivers
The turning point changes none of the planning. Team principal Mattia Binotto confirmed at the end of September at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that Hülkenberg and Bortoleto will drive for Audi in 2027 as well: “Our drivers are under contract; we knew there wouldn't be any changes.” The team is satisfied with the performance and pace of both drivers. Binotto describes 2026 and 2027 as development years for the Audi project in any case.
For Hülkenberg, who with over 260 Grand Prix starts ranks among the most experienced drivers in the field and only last year scored his first podium in Silverstone after 239 starts, the strong second half comes at the right time. For Bortoleto, the remaining races are about returning to the form he showed in early summer. With three points separating them, the internal duel is far from decided.
