Racing Bulls secured a double Q3 appearance at the 2026 United States Grand Prix, with Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad demonstrating the benefits of the team’s latest aerodynamic upgrades at the Circuit of The Americas. However, rather than pushing for the highest possible qualifying positions, the team made an unusual strategic decision to preserve fresh soft tyres for Sunday’s race, with Arvid Lindblad also facing a grid penalty.
The performance confirmed the progress Racing Bulls had shown since introducing its new aerodynamic package in Austin. Both drivers advanced into the final qualifying segment after a closely contested Q2, but the team’s priority quickly shifted towards maximising its opportunities during the Grand Prix rather than using another set of tyres in pursuit of a marginal improvement on Saturday.
Racing Bulls upgrades deliver as Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad reach Q3
Qualifying reinforced Racing Bulls’ positive assessment of its latest developments, with the VCARB 03 showing another improvement in performance. Technical director Tim Goss highlighted the effectiveness of the aerodynamic upgrades introduced for the United States Grand Prix, as well as the ability of both drivers to extract the benefits of the revised package.
“Today in Austin was a really positive qualifying session for VCARB, with both Liam and Arvid managing to qualify for Q3. We brought some significant aerodynamic upgrades to the car for this event and, once again, our upgrade programme and its correlation with what we see on track have delivered the results we were hoping for. The car has taken another step forward in performance, and both drivers were able to make the most of it.”
Saturday’s preparations had begun with an encouraging FP3 session, during which the car performed well on medium tyres. However, the final setup adjustments evaluated on soft tyres failed to produce the expected improvement, prompting Racing Bulls to revert to its previous configuration before qualifying.
The decision allowed the team to retain a balance it considered suitable for navigating the three qualifying stages, rather than introducing further changes that could compromise the car’s behaviour.
“The day started fairly smoothly in FP3, with a convincing performance on the medium tyres. We then tested some small changes to the control settings for the final run on soft tyres, which didn’t go quite as planned. We therefore reversed those changes before qualifying, knowing that the car’s setup and balance were fundamentally in a good place,” Tim Goss explained.
Why Racing Bulls chose to save soft tyres instead of attacking Q3
Both Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad successfully progressed through Q1 before securing places among the ten fastest drivers during an extremely competitive Q2 session. Liam Lawson produced a particularly effective lap, allowing Racing Bulls to save a set of soft tyres by avoiding another run during the opening qualifying segment.
Once both cars had reached Q3, the team made a calculated strategic decision not to commit another fresh set of soft tyres to the final qualifying battle. Instead, Racing Bulls prioritised its tyre allocation for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, believing the additional fresh rubber could provide a greater advantage over the full race distance.
The strategy also considered Arvid Lindblad’s grid penalty. By sending the British driver out for a controlled lap on used tyres, Racing Bulls could place him ahead of Liam Lawson in the qualifying classification and limit the effect of his penalty on his teammate’s starting position.
“Both drivers successfully made it through the Q1 elimination stage; Liam produced such a good lap that we could afford to save a set of soft tyres and skip the second run. The real test for us was Q2, which once again proved extremely competitive. However, both drivers were confident in the car and completed clean laps to qualify for Q3.”
“At that point, we made the tactical decision not to participate. The most important objective is Sunday’s race, for which we felt it was more beneficial to save a fresh set of soft tyres for each driver rather than use them in Q3. We completed a consistent lap with Arvid on used tyres, simply to put him ahead of Liam and limit his grid penalty by one position.”
The decision left Arvid Lindblad ninth and Liam Lawson tenth in the qualifying classification, although the British driver’s power unit penalty would subsequently affect his starting position. The unusual approach was also reflected in the United States Grand Prix qualifying results, which showed both Racing Bulls drivers reaching Q3 despite their decision to prioritise race preparation.
Liam Lawson backs Racing Bulls strategy despite missing final Q3 run
Liam Lawson acknowledged that sitting out the final qualifying segment was not an easy decision, particularly after demonstrating that he had the speed required to reach Q3. However, the New Zealander explained that the approach had been agreed before qualifying and reflected the team’s competitive position relative to the leading Formula 1 teams.
With Racing Bulls not realistically fighting for the front rows of the grid, conserving fresh tyres offered a potentially more valuable opportunity to challenge for points on Sunday. The strategy also helped Arvid Lindblad in the context of his penalty.
“It’s been a positive weekend so far. Before qualifying, we decided that I wouldn’t go back out if both our cars made it into Q3. We weren’t fighting with the leading teams, so this strategy would allow me to save tyres for the race and help Arvid move up the grid, given his penalty.”
“We don’t usually manage to reach Q3 with two sets of tyres still available, so naturally I was eager to get back out on track. Having said that, we were still fighting for ninth place, so for us as a team it was the most sensible choice. We have a competitive car, so I’m looking forward to getting back on track tomorrow.”
Liam Lawson’s comments underline the confidence Racing Bulls has gained from its latest aerodynamic improvements. Rather than concentrating solely on Saturday’s qualifying positions, the team believes its upgraded car can compete effectively during the race, provided it makes the most of its available tyres and opportunities.
Arvid Lindblad targets Austin recovery drive after power unit penalty
For Arvid Lindblad, reaching Q3 represented an important achievement after a difficult start to the United States Grand Prix weekend. The young British driver admitted that he had been several tenths slower than Liam Lawson during the preceding sessions, but gradually improved his performance until he was able to produce the lap required at the decisive moment.
Despite qualifying ninth, Arvid Lindblad must start further back because of a power unit-related grid penalty. That setback makes recovering positions one of his principal objectives for Sunday’s race, although the characteristics of the Circuit of The Americas could provide opportunities to make progress.
“It hasn’t been an easy weekend for us so far. We started on the back foot, as I was a few tenths behind Liam in every session, but at the crucial moment we managed to put everything together and qualify for Q3.”
“I’m really pleased with the work we’ve done, so a big thank you to everyone who contributed. We kept working hard, making small improvements on every lap, and overall I’m very happy with my lap. It’s a fantastic circuit to drive, offering plenty of overtaking opportunities thanks to its long and wide braking zones.”
Arvid Lindblad recognises that his lower starting position will make scoring points more difficult, but Austin’s layout provides several possibilities for overtaking. The objective will be to use the VCARB 03’s pace and the team’s tyre strategy to recover ground and turn a promising qualifying performance into a worthwhile race result.
“Tomorrow we’ll start a little further back because of the engine penalty, but my objective is to give absolutely everything behind the wheel and put myself in the best possible position to make up ground in the race.”
Racing Bulls confident tyre management can deliver Austin points
Tim Goss also identified race pace and tyre management as the decisive factors for Sunday. With the upgraded VCARB 03 showing encouraging performance and both drivers demonstrating confidence in qualifying, Racing Bulls believes it has the technical package required to challenge for a points finish.
“Race pace and tyre management will be crucial tomorrow, and we’re looking forward to showing that the VCARB 03 and our drivers have the pace needed to bring home some points.”
The decision to preserve fresh soft tyres could prove particularly relevant given the expectations surrounding the 2026 United States Grand Prix tyre strategy. Pirelli has indicated that the soft and medium compounds could play a central role in the race, making the availability of fresh tyres an important consideration for teams planning their Sunday approach.
Securing places in Q3 with both cars has therefore provided further evidence of Racing Bulls’ progress following its latest aerodynamic upgrades. However, the team will now need to translate that Saturday performance into a competitive Grand Prix result, with tyre conservation, race pace and Arvid Lindblad’s recovery drive all central to its ambitions at Austin.
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