Audi F1 troubles continue with second on-track stoppage

Audi's R26 challenger came to a stop once again at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Day 3 of testing.

Nico Hulkenberg was behind the wheel of the car which ground to a halt between Turns 9 and 10, according to reports.

It marks the second time this week that Audi has faced a mechanical issue which forced it to switch off its car.

Audi made its on-track debut on Monday with Gabriel Bortoleto but managed just 27 laps before it was struck with an issue.

The team asserted it deliberately opted to leave the car in the garage for the rest of the day in order to get to the root of the problem and iron out the issue.

However, the car faced another issue early on during Day 3 in Barcelona which disrupted its running - but it is not yet known if it is a related problem to Monday.

While the Barcelona shakedown is being used for teams to discover any teething problems with its car, it may spark concern around Audi's reliability early in the season.

The German manufacturer has joined the grid for the first time, complete with its own power unit.

Audi, however, did not cause the only red flag of the session as Oliver Bearman stopped at Turn 2 in the opening hours.