Binotto makes race starts Audi’s "top priority" after Bortoleto’s feedback

Audi team boss Mattia Binotto has identified race starts as the outfit’s “top priority” during the April break, following what Gabriel Bortoleto described as a "terrible" launch performance at the Japanese Grand Prix.

A clear weakness exposed

Binotto, who stepped into the leadership role following Jonathan Wheatley’s resignation last month, did not shy away from the issue.

“Starts are certainly not one of our strengths at the moment, and the reason it has not been addressed so far is because it is not an obvious thing to be fixed,” Binotto told media, including RacingNews365.

However, he made it clear that the problem can no longer be tolerated.

“But on the other side, it is a top priority for us because we had a good qualifying [in Japan], and you are losing all the positions on the start, so it is not worthwhile.”

The admission underlines a frustrating reality for the team: competitive one-lap pace is being nullified within seconds of the race beginning.

April break offers crucial window

Audi’s slow start to the campaign has been compounded by a tightly packed calendar. With limited winter testing in January and February, followed by three races before the end of March, there has been little opportunity to introduce substantial upgrades or systematically address weaknesses.

Binotto described the team’s early-season approach as largely reactive.

“It has been very reactive at the moment because, since winter testing as a brand-new team, there has been so much to learn, fixing reliability problems, and we've had no time to start thinking about developments.”

The April break, extended by the cancellation of a couple of races, now offers a rare reset.

“It is good for us that a couple of races have been cancelled because, as a team, we will have more time to reflect on the start of the season.”

With Formula 1 set to resume in Miami, Binotto has made it clear that improving launch performance and start execution will be a central focus in the coming weeks.

“So that will be one of the focuses over the next few weeks to be better prepared for Miami.”

For Audi, the objective is straightforward: convert qualifying potential into race-day results — and stop surrendering positions before the first corner.