Audi validates its 14 upgrades, but Baku still exposes a lack of top speed

Audi brought its biggest recent upgrade package to Baku, with 14 declared items focused in particular on the floor, wings and bodywork. Mattia Binotto said during practice that the data confirmed the expected gains, so the race problem was not a correlation failure with the new parts.

The limitation lies elsewhere: both Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto described a significant straight-line speed deficit. Hülkenberg held tenth for a long time before being passed by Carlos Sainz, while Bortoleto said he was sometimes running only two tenths behind a rival without being able to attempt a move at the end of the straight.

Audi has therefore improved aerodynamically, but Baku is a reminder that its power unit remains a structural weakness until the next development cycle. Scoring no points this weekend increases its deficit to Haas to ten points in the constructors’ championship.