Audi progress not to be judged until ‘the end of the year’ - McNish

Audi's Allan McNish is resetting expectations after a mixed start to 2026, insisting the team's real progress won't be clear until the season's end. Early races have shown flashes of competitive pace but also operational inconsistencies, which McNish attributes to the complexity of merging Sauber's structure with Audi's own power unit.

Why it matters:

Audi's entry as a full works team in 2026 is a multi-year project. Early-season results—marked by poor starts and reliability setbacks—don't reflect long-term potential. McNish's call for patience is a deliberate strategy to buy time for integration without panic.

The details:

• McNish emphasizes this is effectively "race four for a new team," making early judgments misleading.
• Despite bringing fewer upgrades than most rivals in Miami, Audi showed strong single-lap pace. Nico Hulkenberg impressed by qualifying near Q3 despite a problem.
• However, inconsistent execution and operational errors have cost points, keeping Audi outside the top tier.
• The field is tightening: Williams improved race performance in Miami, meaning Audi cannot rely on pace alone.

What's next:

• Audi heads to Montreal with more upgrades, though McNish notes that circuit-specific characteristics (Monaco, Canada) may not fully reveal the car's potential.
• The underlying chassis performance is solid, but turning that into consistent points requires better operational integration.
• The real verdict will come at the end of the year—after a full arc of development and learning.