Audi discover breakthrough after eliminating 'clunky' F1 gremlins

Audi boss Jonathan Wheatley believes the team has made a breakthrough in its operations after eliminating its "gremlins" by "hitting them with hammers."

In the Barcelona shakedown, the team was restricted in its running as teething troubles struck, but the Ingolstadt concern was able to complete 344 trouble-free laps across the Bahrain test - and even introduced an eye-catching new sidepod design. 

After Barcelona, the head of Audi's project, Mattia Binotto, described the team's to-do list as the "longest" he had ever seen, with Wheatley joking that the day the list was completed he would "give up", as he explained how the team was eliminating issues, including its "clunky" trackside operations from Spain in Bahrain.

"I think the gremlins are still around, but we're hitting them with hammers," Wheatley explained to media, including RacingNews365, after the teething troubles in Barcelona.

"I sound like a broken record, but we were the first team to put this generation of car on track, we've developed our own powertrain, gearbox, and other teams have 20 years of gearbox experience, and the steps we've made since Barcelona have been considerable. 

"You don't underestimate the job list, and the most encouraging thing is how collaborative the working environment is becoming. We looked a bit clunky in terms of our operations in Barcelona to my eyes, but it is coming together."

When asked about Binotto's "longest list" and whether Audi had checked items off, Wheatley was firm that it was a never-ending task. 

"If it is anything like my job list, it just continually gets bigger, you cross a load off, but you add 10 more because your ambition is such that you start looking at even smaller margins and gains," he added.

"That is a wonderful thing, you never get bored in this job, the job list is never ticked off, and I think the day that it is, is the day that I give up."