Audi Revolut F1 Team experienced a bittersweet Saturday at the Belgian Grand Prix, with the two sides of the garage enjoying contrasting fortunes in Qualifying.

Gabriel Bortoleto showed an excellent performance to reach Q3 and secure eight on the grid, while Nico Hulkenberg was left without the result his pace deserved.

Despite the mixed outcome, the team's overall competitiveness at Spa-Francorchamps was an encouraging takeaway at a circuit not expected to particularly suit the R26. With both cars showing promising pace across the weekend so far, the focus now shifts to making the most of the opportunities in Sunday's race.

Backed by more than 300 team members from Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester in the grandstands this weekend, the team will be looking to reward their support with a strong performance on race day.

Allan McNish, Racing Director: "Gabriel delivered an outstanding qualifying performance today. Reaching Q3 was beyond our initial expectations, and the laps he put together were impressive. It's a great reward for everyone's efforts and shows what we're capable of when everything comes together.

"On the other side of the garage, it was a much more frustrating afternoon for Nico. His first run in Q1 was compromised by traffic, which forced us to use an additional set of tyres, making the remainder of qualifying more difficult. After Q2, a hydraulic issue brought his car to a halt, adding to the disappointment. We know there was more potential in the package than the final result suggests, so it's unfortunate that we couldn't show that today. Even so, with Gabriel 8th and Nico 13th on the grid at a circuit we didn't expect to suit us particularly well, we can be encouraged by our overall competitiveness."

Nico Hulkenberg: "It was a frustrating end to qualifying. We had gearbox issues from quite early in the session, with the shifts not working properly, and then right after Q2 the team told me to stop the car on track because of a hydraulic problem.

"It's disappointing because there are definitely some encouraging signs in the performance, but we haven't had a clean run on my side of the garage, with technical issues holding us back. We'll take it on the chin, work through it overnight and try again tomorrow."

Gabriel Bortoleto: "I am very happy about today. I think we maximised everything we had, and even managed to extract a little bit more, so I am really pleased with our performance. Tomorrow won't be easy: the Racing Bulls are ahead of us, and I'm expecting a tough fight because they are rather quick. But I'll give it everything I have and see what we can build from there.

"A big shoutout as well to all our team members from Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester who are supporting us from the grandstands this weekend. It means a lot to have them cheering on us, and it gives us even more motivation to fight for a strong result tomorrow."

Check out our Saturday gallery from Spa here.