Racing Bulls secured another valuable double points finish at Sepang, with Liam Lawson taking seventh place and Arvid Lindblad finishing 10th in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The result strengthened the Faenza team’s position in the battle for fifth in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship.
It was the sixth race this season in which both Racing Bulls drivers finished inside the top 10, and the first time the team had achieved the feat since Monza. The result allowed Racing Bulls not only to retain fifth place in the Constructors’ standings but also to extend its advantage over Alpine, which once again failed to score following its disastrous weekend in Baku.
With seven races remaining in the championship, the gap between Racing Bulls and Alpine now stands at 22 points.
Liam Lawson praises ‘flawless’ Racing Bulls strategy
Liam Lawson was particularly pleased with the outcome at Sepang after finishing seventh in a race heavily influenced by bad weather and Safety Car periods. The New Zealander also praised the performance of the car and the strategic decisions made by Racing Bulls throughout a complicated Grand Prix.
“It’s fantastic to come away with a double points finish from the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia as we continue to fight for fifth place in the championship,” Liam Lawson said. “I made one of the best starts of my life and we managed to maintain a strong position at the front of the midfield throughout the race.”
Lawson felt Racing Bulls had produced a strong overall performance throughout the Sepang weekend, with the team also making the right calls as conditions changed.
“Our car performed really well throughout the weekend and the race strategy was flawless. Seeing our Power Unit take the victory also crowns the great work done by the team, both at the factory and at the track, so a huge thank you to everyone.”
The Red Bull power unit’s victory added another positive element to a weekend in which Racing Bulls demonstrated its ability to capitalise on difficult circumstances and maximise the available points.
Attention now turns to Singapore, where Formula 1 will also stage its first Sprint-format weekend of the season.
“We’ll take the positives and the lessons learned from this weekend with us into Singapore,” Liam Lawson added. “We also have the first Sprint-format weekend of the season there, so I’m looking forward to making the most of every opportunity to score points.”
Arvid Lindblad scores after first wet Formula 1 race
Arvid Lindblad’s 10th-place finish was also significant. The Sepang weekend marked his first appearance at the Malaysian circuit and his first Formula 1 race in wet track conditions, giving the Racing Bulls driver another valuable new experience.
“It was definitely a very eventful day, with the various pit stops and Safety Car periods,” Arvid Lindblad said. “We achieved a fantastic result and the team did a great job, making the right decisions at the right moments, so huge credit to everyone.”
Despite securing a point, Arvid Lindblad felt there was potentially more available from his own performance. Nevertheless, he viewed the experience positively given the difficult conditions he encountered for the first time in Formula 1.
“Even though I thought I could have done a little more personally, there are definitely a lot of positives to take from today, especially considering it was my first time in the wet.”
Racing Bulls turns attention to Singapore
Racing Bulls will now prepare for the final event of the three-race sequence with momentum on its side and an increased advantage over Alpine in the fight for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
The Sprint format in Singapore will create additional opportunities to score, something Arvid Lindblad is hoping Racing Bulls can exploit as it looks to build on its strong Sepang result.
“Now we prepare for the final round of the triple-header and, with the Sprint format scheduled in Singapore, I hope we can score more points and have another interesting race.”
After another double top-10 finish, Racing Bulls leaves Malaysia having strengthened its championship position, while both Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad head to Singapore encouraged by the team’s performance and execution in difficult conditions.
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