Racing Bulls continued their impressive early‑season form at Suzuka, securing another points finish thanks to a composed and opportunistic drive from Liam Lawson.
While Arvid Lindblad’s race was undone by unfortunate Safety Car timing, both drivers showed strong pace and maturity as the team extended its streak of scoring at every Grand Prix this year.
Starting outside the top 10 and carrying doubts after setup issues on Saturday, Lawson delivered one of the standout recovery drives of the race. Reflecting on the turnaround, he said: “I’m very pleased with today. From where we started and the doubts we had from yesterday’s issues, the team did a great job rebalancing the car, which led to a strong race.”
The opening laps were difficult, but the RB01 came alive on the Hard tyre. “The first part of the race was really tough, but we got the car into a better window during the Hard stint towards the end.”
Lawson also acknowledged the role of fortune in his result. “We were also a bit fortunate with the Safety Car, which helped us move into the points. Without that, it would have been difficult to finish where we did, so it’s good to come away with something.”
With ninth place, Lawson has now scored points in three of the last two races, a momentum shift he’s keen to carry into the break. “That’s three point-scoring finishes in the last two races, which is a nice bit of momentum heading into the break. I’ll spend time training and with the team to reflect on the past month before Miami, as we keep working to improve.”
Lindblad: “The timing of the Safety Car hurt us the most.”
Arvid Lindblad looked set for his second points finish of the season after running as high as P10 in the early stages. But when the Safety Car was deployed, he was one of the drivers who lost out.
“The timing when the Safety Car came out is probably the thing that hurt us the most today. I was running in P10 until that point, and after that, I went down to P14.”
From there, the rookie simply didn’t have the pace to recover. “From there, we didn’t really have the pace to come back through.”
Lindblad had expected a defensive race from the outset. “It’s a shame, but we knew before the start that it was going to be more of a defensive race instead of an offensive one.”
Despite the disappointment, he praised the team and his teammate. “It’s disappointing not to finish in the points today, but well done to the team and to Liam.”
The April break will be crucial for his development. “There have been some things this weekend that haven’t really worked in our favour, but I’ll use the April break to work hard and put myself in the best possible position for Miami.”
Permane: “We feel very happy to have scored points at every race so far this year.”
Team Principal Alan Permane was delighted with the team’s consistency and execution. “It was a good result for us to finish in the points again and we feel very happy to have scored points at every race so far this year.”
He praised Lawson’s composure under pressure. “Liam drove a superb race to fend off Esteban, although he didn’t look in danger of losing that position.”
Permane also acknowledged Lindblad’s misfortune. “The timing of the Safety Car was unfortunate for Arvid, however circumstances like that will inevitably even out over a season. His learning continues, and despite that, he drove a strong race.”
Looking ahead, Racing Bulls have upgrades coming for Miami. “We’re looking forward to a break now with some good upgrades to the car planned for Miami.”
