Hulkenberg Misses Out on Points as Audi Rue Second Straight Last-Lap Heartbreak in Malaysia

A 'Frustrating' Afternoon at Sepang

Audi were left to pick over an eventful and ultimately unrewarding weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, as Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed out on scoring a point and team mate Gabriel Bortoleto saw his race unravel following a collision with Carlos Sainz.

The Hinwil-based squad arrived with reason for optimism after qualifying, with Bortoleto progressing to Q3 to line up in P10 while Hulkenberg started from P15. Both drivers, however, bolted on soft tyres for what proved a difficult start, a decision that quickly went against them given the still damp conditions following the heavy rainfall that had delayed the event getting underway.

Bortoleto Takes the Blame for Sainz Clash

An early switch to intermediates allowed both Audis to make gains, but Bortoleto's progress stalled when he made contact with the Williams of Carlos Sainz. The Brazilian was subsequently handed a 10-second time penalty for the incident, and he was quick to accept responsibility afterwards.

"First I want to apologise to Carlos," said Bortoleto. "I ended up touching him there and maybe destroyed his race, a bit of mine as well, created damage in my car, and after that we were just too far behind to fight for anything.

"I was racing on my own and unfortunately had another few issues through the race as well that was very difficult to manage, but anyway, I was already gone after my contact. So I apologise to him, to my team, to his team, and we move to Singapore."

Despite the disappointment, the 21-year-old insisted there were positives to carry forward, pointing to the team's upgraded package. "I think we delivered a good upgrade in Baku and it showed to be strong here. And yeah, heads up to Singapore. I'm excited for the weekend, and hopefully we can have a good one there."

Hulkenberg Beaten on the Final Lap

On the other side of the garage, Hulkenberg remained in the fight for points right to the very end, only to be overtaken by Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad on the final lap of the Grand Prix. It marked the second consecutive race in which the German had seen a point slip away in the closing stages, having also lost out late on one week earlier in Azerbaijan.

"Obviously a few times now I just missed out, but ultimately [it was] not quite good enough, our package here," Hulkenberg explained. "That's why we couldn't hang on to that point in the end, but obviously if we're honest we only got there because of some retirements and some trouble at the front.

"I feel like it was always a long shot, but I'm much happier with my performance compared to yesterday, which wasn't so difficult, but a clean race from my side. Yeah, good racing and a good afternoon."

Audi Fined for Unsafe Release

The team's troubles were compounded by a fine for the unsafe release of Hulkenberg during a pit stop, part of which was suspended for 12 months on the condition that there is not a similar incident in that time.

McNish Sees Progress Despite the Pain

Audi's Racing Director Allan McNish echoed the positive outlook, praising the performance of the car while acknowledging that missing out on points was a frustrating end to the event.

"We got the pace of the car. That was quite clear when we got to Qualifying," McNish reflected after the race. "I think we had got it into the right window, and Gabi delivered a really good Qualifying.

"Nico was on a similar pace till Turn 14. These things happen. And I think, we sort of got back through to roughly that point by the end of the race. Not quite that same point, but very close to it.

"So in terms of that, yeah, it was a bit frustrating to be overtaken in the last lap again, because that's two races consecutively where we've been done in the last lap and that's a little bit frustrating. But I think we know where our strengths and weaknesses are and we know we're a bit exposed, and when the Safety Car came out we become a bit more exposed."

Next Up: Singapore

Audi will look to convert their improved pace into points when the season continues in Singapore, with Bortoleto already expressing his eagerness for the weekend ahead.