Racing Bulls left the Dutch Formula 1 GP without scoring points, but Yuki Tsunoda finished his participation as Liam Lawson’s substitute just one position away from the points zone. Arvid Lindblad also had his race compromised by a penalty and crossed the finish line in 12th.
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Tsunoda took over the car for this weekend, and according to team principal Alan Permane, he had a performance that caught attention. The Japanese driver managed to overtake some rivals, but an off-track excursion made him lose ground and prevented a top ten result.
“We were very close to the points, and for him to achieve that in just one race participation is something phenomenal. We are very grateful that he took this spot and for all the work throughout the weekend,” said Permane.
The Japanese driver finished 11th and highlighted his satisfaction at being back fighting for positions on track: “I did everything I could today and really enjoyed it. I missed being there, wheel-to-wheel and making overtakes,” said Tsunoda, who also thanked the team for their support and wished a speedy recovery to Isack (Hadjar).
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On the other side of the garage, Lindblad had a good start but received a drive-through penalty for a yellow flag infringement, which practically ended his chances of fighting for points. The British driver explained that, given the debris on the track, he was focused on maintaining his line and avoiding incidents.
Despite finishing 12th, Lindblad evaluated his performance positively after the penalty: “It was probably one of my best races of the year in terms of pace, commitment in overtakes, and helping the team where I could,” he said. The young driver also highlighted that the changes made by Racing Bulls throughout the weekend helped make the car more competitive, while the team now turns its attention to the next round in Monza, in two weeks.
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