27 Jul 2026
Audi's first season as a full Formula 1 works team has overtaken Williams in the constructors' championship, with points from Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg lifting the German manufacturer to eighth in the standings after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Audi moved ahead of Williams in the 2026 constructors' championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix, taking eighth place on 12 points to Williams' 11 in ninth. It is a small but symbolic marker for a manufacturer making its first full season as a Formula 1 works team, having taken over the former Sauber operation and introduced its own power unit under the sport's new engine regulations.
Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto has carried most of the load, sitting 14th in the drivers' standings on 10 points, with veteran teammate Nico Hulkenberg contributing 2 points from 18th. According to Yahoo Sports, the two midfield outfits had been closely matched for much of the season — the same report notes that Alpine and Racing Bulls were briefly tied on points earlier in the year before being separated on a countback of best results, a reminder of how tightly bunched the constructors' table has been outside the top four.
Audi's points return still leaves it well off the pace of the Racing Bulls and Alpine, on 66 and 61 points respectively, let alone the front-running quartet of Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull Racing. But for a factory squad in its first year running its own power unit, passing an established constructor like Williams — which finished fifth in 2025 — is an early, tangible sign of progress.
With twelve rounds remaining, the ninth-versus-tenth battle between Audi and Williams sits well outside the title picture, but it carries real financial stakes: constructors' championship position determines a meaningful share of each team's prize money for the year, making even a one-point swing at the bottom of the table worth fighting over.
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