Maknish: We really squeezed the maximum out of the car.

      In Austria, the Audi team once again had two cars advance to the second part of qualifying…

      Alan McNish, Racing Director: “Although we didn’t make it to the final, I want to thank our drivers and engineers, as I believe we really maximized the performance of the car.

      Gabriel fully unlocked the car's potential on the last lap in the second session – he drove carefully and precisely. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t enough to reach the final, but he secured a good starting position for tomorrow’s race.

      Nico had a tougher qualifying session. He pushed to the limit and ultimately finished in 14th place. Throughout the weekend, we showed promising pace over long distances, which gives us a decent chance in the race, even if the hot weather becomes another challenge for us.”

      Gabriel Bortoleto (12th): “I’m very pleased with my lap today and how this weekend is shaping up. We didn’t make it to the final, but I believe the qualifying lap was as close to perfect as possible.

      In the last few races, I struggled to set up the car to feel comfortable, but here we went in a different direction, and the updates worked. It’s nice to see that these efforts are paying off. Now all attention is on tomorrow’s race.”

      Nico Hülkenberg (14th): “A challenging weekend. On a short track, the results are incredibly tight, and I couldn’t find the optimal rhythm. This track doesn’t suit us as well as Barcelona; we know we still have work to do.

      I’m looking forward to the race with a bit more optimism. Over long runs during the weekend, we were more competitive than on a fast lap. Given the hot weather, tire management and car reliability will play a key role. If we race without mistakes, we’ll have a chance.”