May 22 (GMM) Peter Sauber has defended Audi amid growing criticism of the German manufacturer’s difficult start to Formula 1.
Audi’s first season following the full works transition has been plagued by reliability issues, drivability complaints and a lack of outright engine performance.
Some critics have even described the early problems as embarrassing for such a major manufacturer.
But team founder Sauber says patience is required. “You simply have to give the team more time,” the retired 82-year-old told Blick newspaper.
“Audi had to develop the engine and gearbox from scratch.”
“Success doesn’t happen overnight. So the many criticisms are premature.”
Current drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto have both openly acknowledged the scale of the challenge.
“We’re lagging behind the fastest cars, and that’s a combination of factors,” Hulkenberg admitted in Montreal.
“There’s still a lot of room for improvement in terms of the driveability of the power unit. We don’t have the most powerful engine, and we know that.”
“We also need to work on its reliability.”
Bortoleto agreed.
“Ultimately, we simply lack power,” the Brazilian said. “You can see that in the publicly available data.”
“Considering that the project has only just started, we’ve done a great job. But compared to the other teams, the deficit is clearly noticeable.”
Despite the difficult start, Hulkenberg insists progress is being made.
“We have some new parts here, not a big evo package, but part of an ongoing development,” he said. “I am very curious to see what has changed since Miami.”
The experienced German is still searching for his first points of 2026.
Naturally, both Audi and Honda are expected to qualify for Formula 1’s ADUO balancing system designed to assist struggling engine manufacturers under the new rules.
However, even Ferrari now hopes to benefit, with the FIA’s decision now looming.
“I think Mercedes has a huge advantage right now, especially when it comes to the power unit,” Charles Leclerc admitted.
“I’d be surprised if we didn’t get ADUO.”
“Sometimes on the straights I notice we’re lacking a bit of performance compared to the Mercedes engine, or even the Ford engine.”
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