Audi Revolut F1 Team extended its points-scoring streak to four races as Nico Hulkenberg stormed to a strong eighth place in the Dutch Grand Prix. In a thrilling race, which also marked the final Formula One event at this venue for the foreseeable future, the team delivered a strong performance, not without some challenges, which were overcome on the way to four points.
Drama struck at the end of lap one, as Gabriel Bortoleto lost control of his car on a treacherous patch of wet track, which had claimed Max Verstappen a few moments before. Gabriel was able to avoid the wall and, remarkably, Nico avoided a collision with his team-mate thanks to an impressive reflex. Both cars were able to continue, and, following a restart, Nico climbed from P12 to P8; Gabriel, starting in 17th place after his lap-one spin, was able to claw back ground and eventually crossed the line in 13th place.
The result, and its four points, lift the team's total to 16, five short of Haas in P7. Most importantly, the team confirmed its state of form, delivering at the front of the midfield both before and after the Summer break.
Earlier in the day, F1 Academy driver, Emma Felbermayr, returned to the points with a fine P5 in the feature race.
Allan McNish, Racing Director: "Overall, it was a very intense race, with the weather coming in at the beginning and the strategic questions that followed. The first lap incident was a little too close for comfort: Gabi had a spin on the banking at Turn 14 in the damp conditions, just behind where Verstappen crashed, with Nico directly following him. Thankfully, both cars were able to continue, so we were very fortunate there.
"After the restart, Nico was in a strong position in P12 and muscled his way through with some fantastic overtakes to put us firmly in the points in P8. From there, it was about controlling the gap to Gasly behind. I have to say, Nico's race was superb today.
"On Gabi's side, restarting from 17th meant it was always going to be very difficult, but he fought his way back as far as he could in very challenging conditions. We come away with four points on the board and our fourth consecutive race in the points, having recovered from a very difficult first lap. I think the team can be pleased with that, but we also know there is still quite a lot of work to do."
Nico Hulkenberg (Car 27):
Race result: 8th
Fastest lap: 1:16.048 (Lap 62)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (Used Soft) - Lap 2 (Used Soft) - Lap 19 (New Soft) - Lap 48 (New Hard)
"It was a very good race, although the end of the first lap was quite scary. I saw what was happening ahead of me and just reacted instinctively, so I was relieved to avoid the incident. From there, we had a clean race, a good strategy and some fun battles along the way. It feels really good to come away with points today. They are important for us in the championship and give everyone in the team a lift, while also confirming that the work we are putting in is taking us in the right direction. It wasn't the easiest weekend so it feels even better to come away with a strong result and some valuable points today."
Gabriel Bortoleto (Car 5)
Race result: 13th
Fastest lap: 1:15.515 (Lap 57)
Strategy & Pit Stops: Start (Used Soft) - Lap 2 (Used Soft) - Lap 11 (New Medium) - Lap 34 (New Hard) - Lap 53 (Used Soft)
"It's been a bit of a disappointing end to the weekend for us. We had some issues at the start that unfortunately didn't allow us to maximise our grid position; on top of that, once I saw the smoke for Max [Verstappen]'s car, I made a small steering correction and lost my car - thankfully, I managed to keep it out of the wall. The team did a fantastic job trying to put me in the best possible position to make it back up the field, so it's a shame we couldn't get the result we wanted, although it was good to see Nico bringing some more points home today. Our pace was good, and I was happy with how I felt with the car up until yesterday, so we'll take these positives and move on to Monza in two weeks."
