Audi must ‘tidy up’ power unit issues, says McNish

Audi racing director Allan McNish has acknowledged the German manufacturer must clean up a series of reliability and operational issues – mainly impacting its power unit – after a chaotic Miami Grand Prix weekend exposed the fragile edges of its developing Formula 1 project. What began with flashes of promise quickly spiralled into frustration, as technical failures, overheating concerns and a costly disqualification derailed momentum.

Why it matters:

Audi is still in the early stages of its F1 journey, building foundational understanding of complex new systems. While rivals refine mature power units, Audi’s recurring breakdowns – including three pre-race failures this season – threaten to undermine progress and delay competitive development. Solving these issues is critical before the team can shift focus to performance gains.

The details:

• Gabriel Bortoleto was disqualified from the Sprint after a technical infringement linked to excessive engine intake air pressure (no performance benefit, per McNish).
• Nico Hulkenberg failed to start the Sprint after a fire erupted on his car, then retired from the Grand Prix due to an overheating drivetrain.
• Bortoleto finished 12th on Sunday, but McNish believes the pace was encouraging enough to fight higher up the order.
• Pattern of failures: This marks the third time an Audi car has failed before a race start this season (Australia, China, Miami).
• McNish insists the issues are not linked by a single root cause, but says “we need to tidy those, there’s no question about it.”
• He noted that other power unit manufacturers are also facing challenges, but Audi is learning “a lot more than some of the others” due to its lack of embedded experience.

What's next:

McNish stressed that reliability is the clear “focus number one” for the team. Until the fundamentals are under control, Audi cannot fully exploit its pace or begin deeper development. The Miami weekend served as another reminder that in F1, speed means little without operational consistency.