Overview
- Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto split the mileage and praised the milestone in brief social posts.
- The outing marked the first full 2026 car-and-engine package on track, pairing Audi’s Hinwil-built chassis with its new power unit.
- Team communications stressed the run was for functionality checks, not performance, under the filming-day limit.
- Early footage indicated 2026 cues including a narrower profile, a raised nose, an in-wash front wing and a return to push-rod front suspension.
- AI-manipulated stills that circulated online were discredited once authentic video and team images appeared, with private testing to follow in Barcelona on January 26–30 and in Bahrain on February 11–13 and 18–20.