Hinwil, September 29: Audi Revolut F1 Team believe Sepang should suit their upgraded car and are aiming for points at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which this year is being held at the Malaysian circuit.
The race is the second leg of an Asian triple-header. It is Formula One’s first visit to Sepang in almost a decade. The track is known for changing weather and high humidity.
Audi brought a new package to Baku, and the work at Sepang will be on fine-tuning it and getting more performance out of the R26.
Close to points in Baku
Racing director Allan McNish said Baku had been another step forward, even though the team just missed out on points.
“Sepang will pose a brand-new challenge for us as a team, and it will be interesting to see how the weekend will develop,” McNish said. “Baku was another step on our journey of growth: we went close to scoring points, and we saw another good display of operations, with fast pit stops and solid teamwork.”
He expects the more traditional layout to show the upgrade more clearly. “We are all looking forward to seeing how our package will work on a more traditional track layout, one that should more accurately show the benefit of our upgrades. We felt this circuit should suit us better, so the aim is to put ourselves in a stronger position and fight for points, after having narrowly missing out on them last weekend.”
Hulkenberg and Bortoleto
Nico Hulkenberg, in car 27, said the technical sections and the climate make Sepang a tricky weekend.
“It’s cool to head back to Sepang this year. This circuit has been around for a long time and it’s one we haven’t raced at for a while,” he said. “It’s not a track that relies on big headline corners, but there are a few sections that are quite technical and reward getting the details right. Add the heat and the humidity, and it always creates an interesting challenge. We learned a few useful things with the new package in Baku, and now it’s about building on that and extracting more from it.”
Sepang is new to Gabriel Bortoleto, who drives car 5, and he wants to use practice to learn it.
“There were some positives with the new package we introduced in Baku, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do with it in Sepang,” Bortoleto said. “It’s a new circuit for me, and it will be important to make the most of the practice sessions to learn everything about it, but I’m excited to get out there. We’ve been close to the points over the last few races, so hopefully we’ll be able to take another step in the right direction and be in the mix again.”
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