Audi's 'terrible' starts become 'top priority' for April break

Audi Formula 1 boss Mattia Binotto has declared solving the team's launch and start problems a "top priority" during the April break, following driver Gabriel Bortoleto's blunt assessment that the sequences are currently "terrible." The issue has cost the new manufacturer valuable track position, most recently at the Japanese Grand Prix, undermining strong qualifying performances and highlighting the reactive nature of the fledgling team's early season.

Why it matters:

For a new manufacturer team, every on-track session is a critical learning opportunity and a chance to build momentum. Consistently losing hard-earned grid positions at the start not only sacrifices immediate points but also damages morale and complicates race strategy. Addressing this fundamental flaw is essential for Audi to stop leaking performance and begin converting its qualifying pace into tangible results as it continues its steep learning curve in Formula 1.

The details:

• Driver Gabriel Bortoleto, who scored Audi's only points so far with a P9 finish in Australia, was vocal after the Japanese GP, calling the car's launch and start procedures "terrible" after again losing positions off the line.
• Team Principal Mattia Binotto acknowledged the severity of the problem, stating starts are "certainly not one of our strengths" and that the issue makes strong qualifying results "not worthwhile."
• Binotto explained the delay in fixing the issue stems from its complexity—it is "not an obvious thing to be fixed"—and the team's overwhelmingly reactive mode since its debut.
  • As a brand-new operation, Audi's initial focus was necessarily on learning the car, fixing reliability problems, and simply operating at race weekends, leaving little capacity for proactive development.
• The condensed pre-season testing and early race calendar further limited opportunities for teams to bring major upgrades to address such weaknesses.

What's next:

The April break provides a crucial window for Audi to shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive development. Binotto confirmed that improving the start procedure will be a key focus in the weeks leading up to the Miami Grand Prix.

• He noted that the cancellation of a couple of races (a reference to the postponed Chinese GP) has inadvertently given the team "more time to reflect" on the season's start and work on solutions.
• The target is to be "better prepared for Miami," where a fix could help the team capitalize on its single-lap pace and fight for more points, marking an important step in its long-term development.