Alan Permane has made the Racing Bulls driver rule clear for Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad: they are free to race each other, but they cannot make contact. After a strong first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season, the Racing Bulls team principal says he does not care which of his two drivers finishes ahead as long as they maximise points for the Constructors’ Championship.
The 2026 season has so far been extremely positive for the Faenza-based team. Racing Bulls has performed above expectations, with consistent development work helping the squad move towards the upper part of the midfield and challenge for fifth place in the constructors’ standings, immediately behind sister team Red Bull.
Racing Bulls upgrades deliver throughout 2026
There is more behind Racing Bulls’ progress than the performances of its drivers. The team has committed heavily to upgrades and development during the opening part of the season, introducing a constant stream of improvements that have helped move the car further up the competitive order.
According to Alan Permane, the work carried out across Racing Bulls’ facilities in Faenza and Milton Keynes has been particularly effective because the updates introduced at the circuit have consistently delivered the expected results.
“The rate of development is incredible. The credit goes to everyone who works here,” Alan Permane told Racer.com. “There has been a huge amount of work in Faenza and Milton Keynes. Everything we’ve brought to the track has worked, and that has allowed us to make a big difference. The upgrades we bring are significant, we put them on the car and they work.”
The progress has helped Racing Bulls remain competitive during a season in which Red Bull’s own performance has also been closely scrutinised. The development of the wider Red Bull structure has been another major talking point heading into the summer break, including Isack Hadjar’s progress with Red Bull during the first half of 2026.
Racing Bulls driver rule gives Lawson and Lindblad freedom
The points, however, are not being earned solely because of the work taking place at the factory. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, the only rookie on the 2026 Formula 1 grid, have regularly finished in the points. Both drivers have reached the top 10 in several recent Grands Prix, providing Racing Bulls with the consistency it needs in the constructors’ battle.
The Hungarian Grand Prix produced their first particularly intense on-track battle, although both cars still reached the finish with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad classified eighth and tenth respectively.
The confrontation attracted attention beyond the Racing Bulls garage, with Max Verstappen also reacting to the Racing Bulls drivers during the Hungarian GP. For Alan Permane, however, close competition between his own drivers is ultimately a positive situation as long as they respect the team’s fundamental rule.
“Even though we had some tense moments in Hungary, I have to trust them,” Alan Permane explained. “We always talk before the races. I tell them they can race, but they must not touch. That is my only rule.”
Permane: ‘I don’t care what their names are’
Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad are proving capable of delivering what Racing Bulls needs from its driver pairing, and Alan Permane is happy to accept the complications that come with having two closely matched competitors fighting for positions.
“Honestly, I’m happy to have these kinds of problems,” Alan Permane added. “I don’t care what their names are, they know that. I don’t care about the finishing order. They have to maximise the points for the constructors; that’s what is important.”
That approach leaves both drivers free to fight without an imposed hierarchy. For Racing Bulls, their individual finishing order matters less than converting the car’s improved performance into the maximum possible championship return.
The importance of those points was evident again at the Hungaroring, where the two Racing Bulls cars both finished inside the top 10. The full 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix classification provides the wider context for a race in which Racing Bulls continued its encouraging first half of the campaign.
With the development programme producing tangible improvements and both Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad regularly capable of scoring, Racing Bulls enters the second half of 2026 with an opportunity to consolidate its progress. For Alan Permane, the formula remains straightforward: keep improving the car, allow the drivers to race and make sure their rivalry never costs the team valuable constructors’ points.
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