Racing Bulls returned to scoring points in Formula 1, this time with Liam Lawson finishing in ninth position after a strategic and consistent race at the Japanese GP. The result kept the team scoring in every round held so far in the 2026 season.
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The performance reinforces the team’s positive momentum, which sees constant evolution and already projects new advances for the next round in Miami. Even with different circumstances for the two drivers, the team evaluated the weekend as productive.
Alan Permane, team principal, highlighted the consistency demonstrated so far: “It was a good result to finish in the points again and we are very happy to have scored in every race so far this year,” he stated. He also praised Lawson’s performance in defending against Haas’s Esteban Ocon, highlighting that the driver safely held the position during the race.
Lawson celebrated the result after a complicated start to the weekend: “I am very pleased with today. From where we started and with the doubts after yesterday’s problems, the team did a great job rebalancing the car, which led to a strong race,” he said. The driver also highlighted that the Safety Car helped the strategy, allowing him to move into the points zone.
According to the New Zealander, the pace improved especially in the final part of the race: “The first part was really difficult, but we put the car in a better window in the stint with hard tires at the end. We also had a bit of luck with the Safety Car, which helped us get into the points zone,” he stated. He added that the recent sequence of positive results creates good momentum for the team before the April break, forced by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs due to the war in the Middle East.
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On the other side of the garage, Arvid Lindblad finished 14th after losing positions with the Safety Car intervention. The young driver explained that he was in tenth place before the race neutralization: “The timing of the Safety Car was probably what hurt us most today. I was in P10 until then and then dropped to P14,” he commented.
Lindblad also highlighted that there wasn’t enough pace to recover ground: “We knew before the start that it would be more of a defensive race than an offensive one. It’s disappointing not to finish in the points, but congratulations to the team and Liam,” he added, already projecting intense work during the break.
Permane confirmed that the team intends to use the break to evolve the car before Miami: “We are looking forward to the break, with some good updates planned for Miami. Liam and Arvid will do a mix of training and work in the simulator, but will also have a well-deserved rest,” he concluded.
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