Bortoleto: The Audi engine is a second slower per lap.

      In this season, the Audi team has only two points, earned by Gabriel Bortoleto in the first round of the season in Melbourne. The Brazilian driver explained that the main problem lies in the power unit, which causes the team to lose a second per lap.

      Gabriel Bortoleto: "I think it's obvious that we have a very efficient chassis, but it's not yet at a championship level. We don't have a car that would allow us to win races if it had a great engine, but the chassis itself is quite competitive.

      It's clear that according to ADUO, we are lagging in terms of the power unit and losing a lot of time per lap. Mattia Binotto has already mentioned this before – at some tracks, the deficit can exceed a second per lap, and that's not an exaggeration.

      That's the reality of our current situation. And that's okay because this is our engine's first season. We developed everything ourselves along with specialists who have been working at Audi for many years. Therefore, I believe that our greatest potential for progress right now lies in the engine area.

      I think we just need time. We have the structure, we have the funding, we have everything necessary for victories, including the people. But development takes time because motorsport is not tennis or football, where you can quickly change something.

      Creating new parts takes an enormous amount of time. They need to be designed, manufactured, tested, and only then brought to the track. So we need to be patient.

      I have already asked the team to show the development plan and I understand very well what it looks like in the medium and long term. Therefore, I am confident that very soon we will be able to compete at the front."