Racing Bulls had a Saturday (23) considered positive at Gilles Villeneuve, the venue for the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula 1, with good performance both in the sprint race and in the qualifying session for Sunday’s race.
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Technical director Dan Fallows described the day as clean and productive, highlighting the gains made with the updates and the competitiveness shown throughout the sessions. He emphasized the sprint result and the drivers’ adaptation to the car:
“It was a clean and successful day for the team today, securing a well-deserved point for 8th place in the Sprint Race with Arvid. We chose to put him on the hard tire, which we knew could leave him vulnerable in the first laps, however he started well and then managed to capitalize on his excellent performance in Friday’s Sprint Qualifying. Having done only two flying laps on a difficult Friday, Liam adapted quickly to the car today and managed to gain six positions, which is an impressive achievement in a Sprint Race.
“Qualifying showed our strong pace this weekend at the top of the midfield. It was Liam’s first time this weekend on the soft tires, but he immediately showed pace, missing Q3 by just half a tenth. Arvid comfortably finished P9, repeating his feat in Sprint Qualifying. The team in Milton Keynes and Faenza did a great job delivering a clear step forward with the updates here in Canada. We look forward to fighting for points with both drivers in tomorrow’s race.”
In qualifying, Liam Lawson came close to Q3 after a consistent performance throughout the first two phases but ultimately did not advance. He started 12th on the grid. In the sprint race, he finished in 11th place. The New Zealander commented on the difficulties faced during the session and highlighted the car’s potential for the race:
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“The car is very fast this weekend, so it’s a shame not to get both cars into Q3. I was still trying to recover after yesterday and it was harder than expected. At the start of qualifying, I had a bit of trouble warming up the soft tire. I also had some front locking, which caused me to put a lot of pressure on myself during the last flying lap trying to get through. We got very close, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. We’ll see what happens tomorrow; we have a fast car in dry conditions, but I wouldn’t mind a bit of rain either, considering where we start. These cars are difficult to drive in the wet, so if it rains as expected, it will be an interesting race.”
Arvid Lindblad had a solid performance throughout the weekend, finishing the sprint in 8th position and completing 28 laps. In qualifying, he consistently advanced to Q3, finishing 9th on the grid. The driver himself gave a positive assessment of the performance, highlighting the team’s work and the expectations for the race:
“Today was really positive and the team did an amazing job bringing this update to help me feel comfortable in the car. All the laps we did this weekend were very competitive, and I am happy with my lap in Q3. Probably could have extracted a bit more time, but when the best teams put it all together, they manage to secure the top positions. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I always like racing in the rain, and with rain forecast, we will deal with whatever comes at the time. Many thanks to the team, and now all focus is on tomorrow.”
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