Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix, and Gabriel Bortoleto took four points for Audi: he crossed the line 11th, 0.558 seconds behind Pierre Gasly, and moved up to eighth when the stewards penalized Oscar Piastri, Gasly and Franco Colapinto after the race. Nico Hülkenberg was classified 14th after his own 10-second penalty for hitting Oliver Bearman’s Haas at Turn 4.
Featured image: © Audi Revolut F1 Team
Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari for the win. Third place was enough for Kimi Antonelli, and the Mercedes driver is now the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
How Audi’s race went
Hülkenberg started 10th and Bortoleto 13th, both on new Mediums. Early on, Hülkenberg ran inside the top 10, with Bortoleto right behind him, according to Formula 1’s race report. Hülkenberg pitted for new Softs on lap 31. Bortoleto stayed out until lap 38.
Then Bottas crashed heavily at Turn 1 when the front-left suspension on his Cadillac failed under braking. The race was stopped with a red flag from lap 46, and Audi’s release shows both cars on used Softs from lap 45. Racing Director Allan McNish said in the release that the stoppage “came at the wrong moment” for Hülkenberg’s strategy, while it “brought Gabi back into the fight.”
Hülkenberg’s race went wrong at the standing restart. He ran into the back of Bearman at Turn 4, and Bearman retired in the pits.
“At the second start, I got a bit too close to Ollie into Turn 4, lost some front downforce and couldn’t stop the car in time. Obviously not intentional, apologies to him and the Haas team.”
Nico Hülkenberg, Audi Revolut F1 Team, in Audi’s post-race release.
He stopped once more, on lap 59, and set the quicker of the two Audi best laps, a 1:20.732 on lap 70. Bortoleto’s best was a 1:20.872 on lap 55. He said in the release that “we had almost no data after the issues we had throughout the practice sessions,” and McNish pointed to “the limited running he had in free practice sessions.”
Audi in Mexico City
| Driver | Grid | Before rivals’ penalties | Result | Points | Tire stops (lap) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Bortoleto | 13 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 38, 45 |
| Nico Hülkenberg | 10 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 31, 45, 59 |
What the stewards decided
Late in the race, Piastri collided with rookie Lindblad’s Racing Bulls at the entry to Turn 2 and sent him into the wall. The stewards handed Piastri a 10-second time penalty after the race. He took the flag seventh, 19.475 seconds behind Verstappen. With 10 seconds added, he drops to 13th, behind Bortoleto and just ahead of Hülkenberg.
The stewards found Hülkenberg alone at fault for the Bearman contact. Their decision notes that it was a first-lap incident after a restart but says no other car contributed, so there were no mitigating circumstances.
Both Alpines lost their places too. Gasly, who took the flag 10th, failed to slow enough through a double-waved yellow flag sector, and his stop-and-go penalty became 30 seconds added to his race time, which put him 17th. Colapinto, eighth on the road, got 10 seconds for not slowing enough under a single yellow and fell to 15th.
On Friday, the stewards fined Audi 5,000 euros after team members moved the floor of Bortoleto’s car from one side of the garage to the other under a large sheet and screened the car while mechanics worked underneath it.
Where Audi stands
Bortoleto’s four points take Audi to 27 in the constructors’ standings. The team stays eighth, four points behind Haas and 15 clear of Williams. Antonelli leaves Mexico City on 380 points, 119 ahead of Verstappen with four rounds left.
Next up: São Paulo
Round 20 is the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, November 6 to 8, and it is Bortoleto’s home race. He said in the release that “Interlagos should suit our car.”
Follow @audi_obsession on Instagram for Audi’s weekend at Interlagos.
Quick answers
Where did Audi finish in Mexico City?
Bortoleto was classified eighth, worth four points, after post-race penalties for Piastri, Gasly and Colapinto. Hülkenberg was 14th.
Why was Hülkenberg penalized?
The stewards gave him 10 seconds for colliding with Bearman at Turn 4 on the standing restart.
Who won the 2026 Formula 1 title?
Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, who clinched it with third place in Mexico City.
Sources
Audi Revolut F1 Team: 2026 Mexican Grand Prix, Sunday; FIA: Mexico City Grand Prix stewards’ documents; Formula 1: Mexico City Grand Prix race result; Formula 1: race report; Formula 1: constructors’ standings; Formula 1: 2026 calendar