Audi will leave “no stone unturned” after a tricky debut Formula 1 test in Barcelona, according to team boss Mattia Binotto.
After reliability issues impacted their early running, the German manufacturer recovered well to more than double their overall lap total on the final day, achieving almost 250 laps.
And with the official pre-season tests in Bahrain later this month, Binotto admits it’s a flat-out push at Audi to build on what was learnt in Spain.
“It is a lot of work for the entire team, for the drivers, for the engineers back at home fixing all the problems in design and operations, whatever we have seen,” the former Ferrari chief explained.
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“For us, it is no stone left unturned, and we need all the details to be managed and fixed, so we’ve got a very long, a very, very long list.
“I’ve never seen such a long list, but I think it is great because the team is really committed and willing to improve and come to Bahrain in better shape.
“There is a lot to build, a lot to grow, but the three days of running have been very, very important, and I think we are doing well for where we are in our journey.”
At the top of that list will be ensuring Audi’s power unit issues are not repeated in Bahrain, but Binotto remains confident.
“The reliability is always very critical, and we had several small problems, not dramatic, but there are a lot of positives looking forward,” he maintained.
“This is the beginning for Audi of our experience as a team, as a power unit manufacturer, and I would sum up that there is a lot to learn, and we are learning a lot.
“The more we run, the more we learn.”
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That sentiment was shared by technical director James Key, who also played down Audi’s early setbacks.
“Nothing unexpected, actually,” he said on the reliability niggles.
“You know, I think had we run faultlessly from the outset, that would have been a very pleasant surprise.
“We’ve seen plenty of red flags; it’s a very, very immature car still at the moment for everyone, but nothing particularly surprising.
“Like I say, this is really a mechanical test, the performance will become the priority later, but nothing surprising other than just working through everything we have to do.”
Key also highlighted the importance of Audi’s engineers finally getting to analyse real-world data of their 2026 car.
“What we really needed to do is just get laps on the car,” he said. “You know, our colleagues in Neuberg on the power unit side have got no track reference data at all.
“This is the first time they’re actually going to get track data for their power unit and for the gearbox as well, so I think really it’s a case of doing that and beginning to tune all these complex energy recovery strategies and all the various other things that go with the ‘26 car.”
