Audi Revolut F1 Team was unable to turn its solid pace into a good result in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, with Nico Hulkenberg setting the 13th fastest time, ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto in 16th.

It was a day of missed opportunities for the team, which had consistently occupied the top ten in every practice session throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, Gabriel clipped the wall during his final attempt in Q1, resulting in terminal damage to his R26, while Nico - who had progressed through Q2 with a strong P6 - was hampered by some damage while fighting for a place in the top ten and, unable to replicate his earlier pace, bowed out in the middle part of the session.

On a track on which overtaking is notoriously difficult, this result is a setback that will complicate work for tomorrow's race. Nevertheless, the team will set out to maximise any opportunity that may arise as it targets a climb back into the points-paying positions.

Allan McNish, Racing Director: "Qualifying did not fully reflect the potential we showed over the course of the weekend. Unfortunately, Gabi touched the wall on the entry to the Turn 9 chicane in Q1, which damaged the suspension and brought his session to an early end. On Nico's side, he had a strong first segment of the session, with P6 in Q1, but we were not quite able to find the pace we had shown previously and ultimately qualified P13.

"Both cars had been consistently in the top ten throughout the practice sessions, so today's outcome is even more disappointing - but this is the challenge this track poses. Monaco is one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar and can be incredibly unforgiving, whether through traffic, track position or the smallest mistake, and we experienced some of those challenges today. Tomorrow's race will be difficult starting where we are, rather than from where we would have been, had we been able to get the most out of our pace."

Nico Hulkenberg: "Obviously, I'm disappointed with today's qualifying result. Coming into the session, things were looking a lot more promising, so it's frustrating not to have converted that into a stronger grid position. In the final run, we were a bit unlucky with traffic, which certainly didn't help, but that's part of qualifying around Monaco and there wasn't much I could do about it.

"More generally, we were carrying some damage on the car, which certainly didn't help. Nevertheless, we expected to be a bit more competitive, so we'll need to look through everything and understand exactly how much it impacted us and where the performance went.

"Tomorrow will be challenging from where we start, but Monaco can always create opportunities, so we'll stay focused and look to make the most of whatever comes our way."

Gabriel Bortoleto: "I'm sorry for the team because they've done an incredible job all weekend and deserved to see our car in the top 10. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to deliver that today. We had the pace to fight for a place in the top 10, but I took a few too many risks in Q1 and clipped the wall going into the Swimming Pool chicane. That ultimately damaged the suspension and ended the session for me. It's the sort of mistake that can be understandable in Q3, when you're pushing to the limit, but not so early in the session.

"Starting position is crucial in Monaco, we knew it well going into qualifying. I am aware tomorrow won't be easy, but our pace has been encouraging all weekend, and we'll keep fighting to try and make up as much ground as possible."