Audi reveal 'house in order' focus as key area of improvement identified

Audi racing director Allan McNish has revealed that the team's focus is not on its rivals but rather on getting its "house in order", with reliability being a key area requiring improvement.

The German manufacturer is set to enter its first summer break as a Formula 1 team following a respectable start to the season.

After the opening 10 rounds, the Hinwil-based operation sits on 10 points, all of them scored by Gabriel Bortoleto.

That leaves Audi ninth in the standings, just one point adrift of Williams in the battle for eighth in the constructors' championship.

McNish is generally pleased with how Audi's first F1 campaign has gone so far, describing it as "better than expected".

Assessing how Audi has started the season, McNish told Sky F1: "I think, overall, it's as expected in terms of having some hard races, races where we didn't get it right, and races where we had reliability issues. 

"I think, in terms of pure performance, we're probably a little bit better than expected. But ultimately, that's dictated by the competition as well and how well they're going. 

"Right now, we're focused on trying to get our own house in order and making sure we maximise everything. But so far, I would say it's going pretty well."

A key area of weakness for Audi, as was largely expected, has been reliability, with the team having experienced several issues already this season. For McNish, this is the main area that must be improved in the second half of the campaign.

Asked what the key area of improvement is for the second half of the season, McNish responded: "We've obviously got to get some of the reliability issues sorted out that have afflicted us over the last two races. 

"If I think about Nico at Silverstone, and also the problem we had in qualifying at Spa, I think that's fundamentally the thing we've got to try and fix."