McNish caught in Audi turmoil during challenging Miami debut.

      Allan McNish experienced a challenging first weekend in his new senior position within Formula 1 as Audi's 2026 reliability issues worsened in Miami. The former Toyota driver and Le Mans champion is now in charge of trackside operations following Jonathan Wheatley's exit, collaborating with Mattia Binotto as Audi revamps its F1 program. However, his debut quickly fell into disorder.

      Nico Hulkenberg encountered a dramatic fluid leak before the sprint race and had to retire from Sunday's race due to overheating problems. Gabriel Bortoleto was disqualified from the sprint for intake pressure violations, and later his brakes ignited during qualifying, marking a weekend riddled with technical and operational issues.

      McNish recognized that the weekend highlighted the magnitude of the challenges ahead. "If he had started from a standard grid position, he likely would have scored points," he remarked about Bortoleto. "The same goes for Nico in a clean race."

      The 56-year-old Scot emphasized that the actual pace is more promising than the outcomes indicate. "The fact that we managed to keep up well with a relatively smaller package compared to others demonstrates that the raw speed exists," McNish stated. However, he acknowledged that the operational and reliability aspects are still far from satisfactory. "Naturally, we want to avoid such occurrences," he noted. "Everyone is still in a learning phase. It’s not surprising that we can't perfect everything right from the beginning."

      McNish also shared that he spent a significant portion of the weekend trying to understand the inner workings of the organization. "There was a lot to absorb," he confessed. "I first needed to grasp how the various departments operate and how they connect. I now have a better understanding."

      Former F1 driver Timo Glock was much more direct. "Hulkenberg can't be satisfied with this, and neither can Audi with their performance this weekend given the numerous technical issues," he said to Sky Deutschland. "Since the start of the year, there have already been three race starts where a car was absent due to technical difficulties. They need to regroup and address their shortcomings. They can’t afford this."

      Hulkenberg himself tried to remain optimistic despite being without points so far in 2026. "Overall, it was a character-building weekend for us," he acknowledged. "We faced a lot of challenges and have much work ahead, but there were also some positives. I think our pace isn't too bad. But we need to convert that into performance, bring it to the track, see the checkered flag, and get the cars across the finish line. We’ll continue to push, keep our spirits high, and won’t let this discourage us."