Gabriel Bortoleto returned to prominence this Saturday by revealing, in an exclusive interview with F1MANIA.NET, what would constitute a particularly positive result for the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The day also featured Red Bull setting victory as the only acceptable objective, while Mercedes explained why the grid order can shift so quickly this year.
Bortoleto acknowledged that Audi’s gap to the teams immediately ahead remains sizable and deemed it difficult to catch outfits such as McLaren and Red Bull at this moment. The Brazilian, who has scored ten of Audi’s 12 points and sits 14th in the World Championship, pointed to a more concrete target: to finish the year consistently ahead of the Racing Bulls. “They are still just a step in front of us. If we could finish the year ahead of them I would be very happy,” he said, adding that he is excited about the car’s future development plans and the power unit’s evolution.
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In Red Bull, Laurent Mekies made clear that the improvement clocked before the summer break still falls short of the team’s expectations. According to the executive, the gap to the front had dropped from about 1s2 to roughly three tenths over the course of the first half of the season, allowing Max Verstappen to regularly contend for podium finishes. “We won’t be satisfied until we have a race car that has the pace to win on merit,” he stated. Red Bull remains the only one among the major forces cited as a title candidate that has not won in 2026.
Mercedes, for its part, revealed the remarkable development pace prompted by the new regulations. James Allison stated that the aerodynamic gains achieved in the wind tunnel are six or seven times larger than in 2025, equating to roughly half a second every two months. The team opted to push the W17’s development very close to the season’s start, enabling a highly competitive championship kickoff, while allowing some rivals to begin their upgrade programs earlier.
At McLaren, Andrea Stella highlighted another positive point: the relationship between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri following the 2025 title fight. The boss admitted there were no guarantees that the harmony would survive the battle waged until the final race, but said the partnership has strengthened, with Piastri turning to the team even more to accelerate his development both on and off the track.
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The 2026 Formula 1 season is nearing the end of the August break. The championship will resume between August 21 and 23 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, a weekend that will feature FP1 and Sprint Qualifying on Friday, the Sprint and Qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday.
Jake Thompson
I'm Jake Thompson, a motorsport journalist born and raised in North Carolina, where NASCAR weekends were basically family holidays. I’ve been covering everything from Formula 1 to rally raids for over a decade, blending sharp analysis with a fan’s heart. For me, writing about racing isn’t just a job — it’s the best seat in the house.
