Hulkenberg's Close Call, Audi's Struggles: Suzuka Analysis

0:00On April 2nd, Nico Hulkenberg came also close to grabbing points at the Japanese Grand Prix, finishing just the second shy of 10th place in 11th. The German driver qualified 13th, but had a nightmare start, dropping all the way back to 19th on the first lap before clawing his way up. This was Audi's first race since their team principal Jonathan Wheatley stepped down immediately and it didn't go smooth. Hulkenberg is still pointless after the first three rounds, while teammate Gabriel Bortolato's 9th in Australia remains the team's only score. So far, Bortolato qualified 9th in Japan, but also lost ground at the start, ending 13th. Hulkenberg called it a really poor getaway that left him stuck in heavy traffic, making overtakes tough with the car's energy modes and overtake. Functions. You pull off a great move, but then get passed right back on the next straight. Bortolato echoed that, saying starts have been a struggle since round one for both of them.

1:00Now teams get a break with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia bumped out of April, giving Audi time to dig into the data and fix issues like those sluggish, matches and other race problems. They know they've got plenty of work ahead, but their heads down, using every bit of info from Suzuka to gear up strong for Miami. Hulken coverage, powered by AI, this is F1 News today.