Audi left the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas without a point: Nico Hülkenberg finished 11th, 94.945 seconds behind winner Kimi Antonelli, and Gabriel Bortoleto took 13th, a lap down. Bortoleto had started 21st after an 80-place grid penalty.
Featured image: Audi Revolut F1 Team
Antonelli’s Mercedes won by 13.078 seconds over Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, with Max Verstappen third. Audi stays eighth in the constructors’ standings, seven points behind Haas.
How Audi’s race went
Hülkenberg started 11th on new Softs. Audi’s race release says the car went into anti-stall just after the start and dropped him to 15th. He stopped once, on lap 29, for Hards, and recovered to 11th, 7.429 seconds behind Pierre Gasly’s Alpine in 10th at the flag. He lost four places at the start and won all four back, which makes this a better drive than 11th suggests. Racing Director Allan McNish called the recovery “a superb effort.”
“Unfortunately, we lost some ground at the start when the car briefly went into anti-stall, which was a strange one because it happened a few metres after getting off the line rather than straight away.”
Nico Hülkenberg, Audi Revolut F1 Team, in Audi’s post-race release.
Bortoleto began on the back row. The penalties for additional power unit elements put him 21st, and he started on new Softs too. Audi lists two stops for him, the second for fresh Softs under the late Virtual Safety Car, called when Valtteri Bottas stopped his Cadillac. His best lap, a 1:38.393 on lap 53, came on that last set.
Bortoleto called it a good race overall in Audi’s release, saying the car felt good, the pace was there and he had overtaken quite a few cars cleanly.
United States Grand Prix result
| Pos | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 56 | 1:35:16.650 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 56 | +13.078s |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 56 | +17.485s |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 56 | +87.516s |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 56 | +94.945s |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 55 | +1 lap |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 55 | +1 lap |
What the stewards decided
The stewards gave George Russell a five-second penalty for leaving the track at Turn 12 and gaining an advantage. Oliver Bearman got 10 seconds for causing a collision with Gasly at Turn 13, and he later retired. The stewards took no further action against Bortoleto after he left the track at Turn 11 while fighting Franco Colapinto on lap one, because they could not tell which car was ahead at the apex. No Audi car was investigated after the race.
The 2027 floor-stay rule
F1.com’s Tech Weekly says Red Bull and Audi both used a floor-stay design this season that gets around the limit on how tightly the edge of the sidepod can curve, for a more aggressive undercut and cleaner airflow toward the rear. It says the loophole “has been outlawed as from next season.”
The rule is in the FIA’s 2027 technical regulations, Issue 3, published on October 1. Article C3.5.14 limits where a floor stay can touch the bodywork. Grandprix.com reports that Red Bull introduced the idea first and that Audi adopted a similar arrangement with its Baku update. It also calls the design legal in 2026.
F1.com’s list of Audi’s Baku upgrades only mentions “an updated floor and bodywork.” We found no Audi comment on any of this, and nothing confirming Audi ran the design at COTA. Our Baku upgrade report covers what Audi said about that update.
Audi F1 standings after the US Grand Prix
Audi has 23 points, eighth in the constructors’ standings, behind Haas on 30 and ahead of Williams on 12. Haas didn’t score either, with Esteban Ocon 14th and Bearman out, so the gap to seventh stayed at seven. We set up that fight in our Audi F1 US Grand Prix preview. The FIA’s points table carries a note that it is subject to Audi’s notice of intention to appeal a stewards’ decision from the Italian Grand Prix. Hülkenberg is 14th in the drivers’ championship on 13 points and Bortoleto 15th on 10.
Five rounds remain. Antonelli leads Russell by 123 points and clinches the title in Mexico City if he finishes ninth or better.
Next race: Mexico City Grand Prix
Audi’s next race is the Mexico City Grand Prix, October 30 to November 1, a week after Austin. Race-weekend updates from Mexico City will go up on Instagram at @audi_obsession.
Quick answers
Did Audi score points at the US Grand Prix?
No. Nico Hülkenberg finished 11th and Gabriel Bortoleto 13th, so Audi stayed on 23 points, eighth in the constructors’ standings.
Why did Bortoleto start 21st?
He took grid penalties for additional power unit elements, which sent him to the back row.
What happened to Hülkenberg at the start?
Audi says the car briefly went into anti-stall a few meters after he got off the line, which dropped him to 15th. He recovered to 11th.
Earlier Audi race report: Singapore Grand Prix recap.
Sources: Audi Revolut F1 Team Sunday release. FIA final race classification. FIA final starting grid. FIA championship points. Formula 1 race report. RaceFans results and standings. Crash.net standings. Formula 1 Tech Weekly. Grandprix.com on the sidepod rule. FIA 2027 technical regulations, Issue 3.