Gabriel Bortoleto explains Audi testing disruption after ‘couple of problems’ on day one in Barcelona
Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto said the team ran into “a couple of problems” after a technical problem saw the R26 stop on track during the first day of shakedown testing in Barcelona.
Of the 11 2026 constructors, Audi is one that will be hoping to make the most of its three days running in Barcelona given it has its own power unit to analyse but the first day saw a disruption.
Gabriel Bortoleto recaps first Audi F1 test day
While F1 is doing its best to keep the media away from the private test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a photographer from the Spanish outlet Soy Motor spotted Bortoleto parked on track with marshals surrounding the car.
The team later confirmed to PlanetF1.com that a “technical issue” had caused the stop but did not divulge any more information than that.
Bortoleto though, who is in his second season as an F1 driver, said these kinds of problems were “part of the process” and played down any fears of longer-term issues.
“It was I would say a bit of a short day,” he said. “We were doing a pretty decent job in the morning, putting some laps on board, testing some things. We were going in the right direction.
“But as we all expected, it is a shakedown – everything can happen, and we expect to find issues here and there in the car. We found a couple of problems that unfortunately put us out of the day from the morning, so I didn’t run much today. But it was expected, these types of thing – we are finding everything now to hopefully not find it in the next test or in the first race of the year.
“But overall, I would say when we were running positive [it was] good to have a feel with the new car, the new regulations, power unit and everything. Hopefully on the next day I’m driving I can get a few more laps onboard.”
More on the first day of Barcelona testing from PlanetF1.com
* F1 2026 testing: All you need to know from Day 1 in Barcelona
* F1 results: Unofficial testing times from Day 1 (Barcelona)
* Red Bull and Ferrari singled out for early reliability strides in Barcelona
Bortoleto’s words were echoed by Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley who said the car was turned off the moment the problem was noticed so that they could fully understand the issue.
“We had a technical issue with the car, we spotted it,” he said. “Decided to switch the car off on track. We’ve got plenty of testing this year and we wanted to really understand the problem so we are carefully analysing that.”
Audi faces another disrupted day on Tuesday but this time due to the weather with rain forecast for the afternoon in Catalonia.
Wheatley said that every team and team principal is trying to find the perfect run plan for the five-day event – during which teams can run on any three.
“I think it’s interesting when you’re talking about the run plan, all the teams are facing the same decision,” the former Red Bull sporting director said. “Firstly have you got the right spare parts to be able to support running and then what’s the weather condition like?
“I’ve been talking to other team principals, nobody wants to let the cat out of the bag. I don’t either but it’s been interesting that you have this strategy to make every day about when you run.”
Read next: How Ford is shaping Red Bull 2026 F1 power unit programme
