Audi facing complex power unit push after difficult F1 start

Audi’s power unit challenge comes into focus

Audi racing director Allan McNish has acknowledged the scale of the task facing the German manufacturer after admitting that building a Formula 1 power unit from scratch has been a “very complex situation”.

Across the opening seven rounds, Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto have both avoided finishing lower than 13th. Yet the team’s points return remains thin: Bortoleto’s two points from the Melbourne season opener are still Audi’s only top-10 result of the campaign.

Reliability improved, performance still under scrutiny

Beyond that freak incident, Audi has also faced broader questions over power unit reliability and outright performance. Both drivers have pointed to a lack of power, while numerous reports have placed Audi fourth in the current power unit pecking order, ahead of only Honda.

That ranking could prove significant. Under the situation outlined in the source material, Audi should be entitled to two internal combustion engine upgrades this year and again in 2027, offering a meaningful route to close the gap if the team can convert development opportunity into performance.

Asked where Audi believes its power unit stands, McNish was clear that the first season was never expected to be straightforward.

“Certainly, we knew that the first season of the power unit was always going to be difficult, building it from the ground up,” McNish told media.

He added: “I think there have definitely been some areas where we’ve worked on it very hard and improved the reliability quite a lot as well. So, in that respect, it’s always been a non-factor.”

McNish: Barcelona issue was not power unit related

McNish stressed that Audi’s Barcelona retirement should not be read as another power unit failure, given the unusual nature of the shutdown.

“It was a very complex situation, and it was never going to be easy to come out with the best power unit overall,” he said. “But with regard to where we are now, I don’t think that was a factor in our issues in Barcelona in the end.”

For Audi, the priority is now clear: improve the power unit while continuing to develop every other area of the car and team. The foundations may be stable, but the next phase must deliver measurable performance.