Allan McNish keeps 1989 Senna telemetry sheets 37 years later By Luís Henrique Costa
3 min read
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The German manufacturer Audi has built its long-term Formula 1 planning around Gabriel Bortoleto, according to team boss Allan McNish. In an exclusive interview published on 5 November 2026, on the eve of the São Paulo Grand Prix, the Scottish executive praised the technical maturity of the 22-year-old Brazilian. It is the first time the São Paulo native races at home as a regular starter for a factory team.
Audi arrived at Interlagos on the back of points scored in recent rounds. Bortoleto finished eighth at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, and Nico Hulkenberg scored points in Singapore. The weekend then turned harder for the Brazilian. Qualifying was held in heavy rain and finished about two and a half hours after its scheduled start, with Lando Norris of McLaren taking pole. Bortoleto ran wide at Turn 12 in Q1, hit the tyre barrier and was knocked out in 22nd place. Hulkenberg qualified sixth and is set to start fourth, according to Formula 1.
Mattia Binotto, the Italian who leads the technical side of the team, said Bortoleto’s hands-on role in the factory has sped up the project. The driver works directly on simulator tests in Europe, which sets him apart from drivers who only show up for race weekends.
McNish said the progress he has seen is clear: “I have seen a big development from Gabi since last year. He knows that being an Audi driver, and not a Sauber one, carries a different level of responsibility, and that demands more maturity. He is not only at the GPs. He is in the simulator, in the factory and working with the team as part of its growth. Our strategy with him has always been long term, and Gabi has been in our plans since he was in F3.”
Paper telemetry sheets from his McLaren days with Senna
McNish’s link with Brazil began decades before he took charge at Audi. In 1989, while working as a McLaren test driver, he took part in an official test session at the Estoril circuit in Portugal. He set up in the same garage bay used by three-time world champion Ayrton Senna.
Telemetry data at the time was printed on translucent paper. Teams had to lay two sheets over each other against the light to see differences in line, speed and braking between cars.
Read also: Mercedes can clinch constructors' title at São Paulo Grand Prix
McNish recalled: “The first time I drove an F1 car, he was on the other side of the garage, sharing the McLaren box. Back then you had some data to follow, like throttle, brake pressure and speed. But you could not compare everything, so you took two pieces of paper, held them against the light and saw the difference in the traces. I still have those test papers from the session with Senna.”
McNish also described Senna as someone with a striking duality, warm away from the track and relentless in the cockpit. According to him, Senna could pull the mechanical limit out of the tyres and special qualifying engines on his first lap out of the pits.
Where to watch the São Paulo weekend on TV
Free practice, qualifying and the race are broadcast live across Brazil on open TV and pay-TV channels. The schedule, in Brasília time, is below.
- Friday, 6 November 2026: first free practice at 12:30 p.m. and second at 4 p.m., on sportv3
- Saturday, 7 November 2026: third free practice at 11:30 a.m., on sportv3
- Saturday, 7 November 2026: qualifying, scheduled for 3 p.m., on TV Globo, sportv3 and ge.globo
- Sunday, 8 November 2026: race start at 1:30 p.m., on TV Globo, sportv3 and ge.globo
Audi finished setting up its garages ahead of the technical inspections run by the FIA, the sport’s governing body, which clear the cars to run. The race starts at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday in São Paulo, with Hulkenberg set to start fourth.
