Racing Bulls ended the Formula 1 Chinese GP with eight points scored, a result considered very good by the team, even in the face of a weekend where the car’s performance was not ideal.
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Team principal Alan Permane highlighted the team’s execution in the race in Shanghai: “Getting eight points on a weekend where we clearly weren’t fast enough is an exceptional result for the team. It was a very well-executed race. We were unlucky with the Safety Car, as we had pitted Liam on the previous lap, but he drove a really great race. At one point he was under a lot of pressure from (Isack) Hadjar and didn’t make any mistakes, delivering a solid result,” he stated.
Permane also commented on Lindblad’s performance and the challenges of a Sprint format weekend: “Starting on hard tires, the Safety Car appeared at the wrong time for Arvid, compromising his race and that of everyone who started on hard tires. It was a difficult weekend for him, but the learning continues. A Sprint weekend at a new circuit was always going to be tricky, especially with little track time in FP1. Now we have a quick turnaround to Europe before heading to Japan, a circuit that presents very different setups and challenges from the last two races, and we are looking forward to facing it,” he concluded.
Liam Lawson finished seventh and celebrated the recovery after some setbacks: “I’m very happy with our result today. To be honest, we didn’t expect it, but our pace was strong at the end. We had a poorly timed Safety Car, and at that moment I thought our race might be lost. In the end, it was a very fun race and we managed to make some overtakes. Finishing in P7 is great. All credit to the team on the strategy. We did everything right this weekend,” he added.
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Arvid Lindblad, who finished 12th, also commented on the lessons learned from the weekend in Shanghai: “It wasn’t the easiest weekend for us. I had a good start and the race was going well until the Safety Car appeared. Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t ideal for our strategy, as it was too early to switch to medium tires, so we were forced to stay on the hards. It was a different weekend from Melbourne, with a Sprint format and a new track for me, and only a few laps in the single free practice. There are learnings I can take forward, as well as points to improve together with the team before we go to Japan,” he added.
The result reinforces Racing Bulls’ evolution and the team’s focus on learning from each race, adjusting the car and strategy to seek better results in the next stages.
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