Racing Bulls has started the 2026 season with a level of consistency that few would have predicted: scoring points in every race held so far and demonstrating a knack for squeezing the absolute maximum out of their available package. However, no one within the team is resting on their laurels. While the start has been positive, the squad is well aware that they do not yet possess a car truly capable of matching the leaders of the midfield. For this reason, the developments expected between Miami and Montreal could represent a decisive turning point in their season.
This was confirmed by Team Principal Alan Permane who, in a meeting with selected media outlets, explained how the unexpected break in April altered the timing, but not the technical roadmap of the team: “We had a fairly significant update planned for Bahrain, which we will obviously see in Miami. We then had another one scheduled for Montreal, so two packages will arrive in quick succession.”
It is a unique situation, as the first package will debut in Miami only to be superseded almost immediately by the second step: “There’s no way to bring both to Florida. We can’t bring the Montreal one forward, so we find ourselves in a bit of a strange situation: we’ll introduce a fairly major update and then replace it almost immediately. It’s the only way to fit the new parts into this calendar.”
More points than expected: “Execution compensated for the gap”
Perhaps the most interesting takeaway, however, is that Racing Bulls has collected a healthy points haul not because they already have a front-running midfield car. Permane admitted this openly, highlighting how the team has achieved results superior to the raw performance expressed on certain tracks: “I think we’ve done a good job, honestly. We haven’t often been fast enough, but we’ve managed to score points anyway. In China, we managed it in both the Sprint and the main race, despite not really being quick enough. And honestly, it was the same in Suzuka.”
The Team Principal’s analysis is candid: Melbourne was the circuit where the car worked best, while elsewhere, Racing Bulls had to compensate with trackside execution. It is no coincidence that the overall balance remains encouraging: “We’ve done a very good job. The car worked very well in Melbourne. In the other two races, we weren’t fast enough, but we scored points in all three races and the Sprint as well. So, on the whole, definitely positive Sundays.”
Permane then clarified exactly where the team currently sits in the mid-grid hierarchy: “What I know is that the new parts we have coming will certainly bring us a bit further into the midfield fight, whereas right now we are closer to the back of the pack.”
It is a bold statement that explains the situation perfectly: Racing Bulls has been effective, but not yet fully competitive. Yet, the technical foundation has not been dismissed—far from it. The problem does not seem to be the car’s behavior, but rather a deficit in aerodynamic load. On this point, Permane was very direct: “The car works well and doesn’t seem to have particularly negative characteristics. We simply need more downforce, and that is what we are bringing.”
The drivers: “Always in the points with a sub-top 10 car”
Liam Lawson echoed these sentiments. The New Zealander explained that, compared to what emerged during testing, the team has managed to exceed expectations in terms of results: “Based on how testing went and what we thought our speed was, Melbourne was quite positive. Definitely our best weekend. I think we really maximized the result for what our potential was.”
Lawson added a key concept: “We’ve scored points in every race so far with a car that, potentially, struggled to be in the top 10. And I think when we have a faster car, we can be even stronger.” This sentence perfectly captures the first part of the Racing Bulls season: concrete performance, but built more on the quality of work than on technical superiority.
Arvid Lindblad, the surprising rookie of this championship opening, also insisted heavily on the team’s execution. The Briton acknowledged that the results obtained went beyond expectations but stressed that a significant part of the credit lies in the team’s ability to avoid mistakes: “The results have been better than expected. But to be honest, a lot also depends on the fact that the team has done an incredible job on the operational side. We haven’t always been super fast, but we did the basics well. And that helped us bring home many points in the early races.”
This is a vital key, as it adds depth to the picture drawn by Permane: Racing Bulls did not just survive the chaos of the new technical cycle; they read the weekends well, avoided errors, and capitalized.
Racing Bulls: Miami and Montreal will be decisive
The Team Principal finally confirmed that work at the factory did not stop during the break. In addition to the planned upgrades, the team took advantage of the extra time to bring forward some interventions: “We took the opportunity to do some unscheduled work on the chassis. There are some things where we managed to get the work done ahead of schedule.”
However, it remains clear that the central focus will be the car’s response when the most significant developments arrive. As the drivers explained, this phase of the championship can quickly shift the competitive order. Lawson noted that at the beginning of the year, with such new cars, upgrades can shift the balance much more than in previous seasons: “This year we expect to bring much more significant updates during the season, and hopefully with greater frequency. That is the main focus at this stage of the year.”
The message is clear. The team has started well, perhaps even beyond expectations, but now simply maximizing will no longer be enough. Miami will see the debut of the first package, Montreal the second. There, we will see if the team can truly make a concrete leap to join the midfield fight, or if they will remain a squad capable of optimizing everything while still lacking raw performance.
The operational excellence of Racing Bulls during the early 2026 rounds has provided a vital buffer in the championship standings. By perfecting the “basics” of the new energy management regulations, they have successfully defended positions against theoretically faster rivals. As the F1 season transitions to the high-speed streets of Miami and the technical challenges of Montreal, the integration of this new downforce package will determine if Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad can stop looking in their mirrors and start attacking the teams ahead.
The strategy employed by Racing Bulls demonstrates a “procedural” mastery of the 2026 regulations that often matters more than pure wind-tunnel numbers in the early stages of a new era. By focusing on operational reliability while their rivals struggled with the new hybrid energy deployment, they have positioned themselves as the most efficient team in the midfield. However, as the development race accelerates through Miami and Montreal, their ability to add raw downforce without disrupting this balance will be the true test of their technical department.
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