Midfield Leaders Rising

Racing Bulls have emerged as the surprise package of the 2026 Formula 1 season, rising to fifth in the Teams' Championship after a string of impressive double points finishes across the opening 11 rounds. The Red Bull sister outfit, formerly known as Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri, and RB, now stands at the head of the midfield pack — and with it, the tantalising prospect of the best finish in the team's history.

The season got off to a flying start in Australia, where rookie Arvid Lindblad scored points on his Grand Prix debut, while Liam Lawson added to the tally with a P7 finish at the next round in China. The momentum only built from there.

Monaco and Silverstone Double Triumphs

It was in Monaco that Racing Bulls truly announced themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Lawson led the way in sixth, with Lindblad close behind in seventh, sealing the team's first double points result of the campaign. That same outcome was repeated at the British Grand Prix, a haul that proved invaluable in moving Racing Bulls to within a single point of Alpine in the battle for fifth.

Two rounds later in Hungary, the squad finally toppled their Enstone-based rivals — a milestone Team Principal Alan Permane admitted the team had "all been working so hard towards."

"It's a great way to finish off the first half of the season," Permane added. "We always aim for operational perfection and we came very close to that today."

Driver Head-to-Head: Lawson vs Lindblad

For a rookie in his first season of Formula 1, Lindblad has acquitted himself remarkably well against the more experienced Lawson. The qualifying battle is almost dead level, with Lawson holding a slender 6-5 advantage. However, it is Lindblad who boasts the team's best grid slot of the season — a P7 at the Belgian Grand Prix.

In race trim, Lawson's experience tells, leading the head-to-head 8-3. The New Zealander has crossed the line ahead of his team mate at eight Grands Prix, though the margin has frequently been narrow. Lawson's only retirement came in Miami following contact with Alpine's Pierre Gasly, while Lindblad did not start the Canadian Grand Prix due to a clutch issue.

Miami Misery: The Only Blot on the Copybook

Racing Bulls have scored points at every single round in 2026 — with the sole exception of Miami, which stands as the team's toughest outing of the season. On a busy Sprint weekend, Lindblad missed out on valuable running after a technical issue left him unable to start the 100km dash, while Lawson ended the Sprint outside the points in P14.

Sunday offered little respite. Lawson recorded his only DNF of the campaign after contact with Gasly, and Lindblad lacked the pace to claw his way through the order, crossing the line a lowly P14.

Looking Ahead: Can They Hold On?

Ending the first half of the season in P5 has given Racing Bulls a platform from which to push forward. Permane struck a confident tone heading into the summer break, stating that the squad would be "returning even stronger in Zandvoort."

Lawson, currently 'best of the rest' in P9 of the Drivers' Championship, has set his sights on consistency rather than a specific finishing position. "Scoring points in as many weekends as we can" is the New Zealander's target, with the ambition of making Racing Bulls the "best midfield team" on the grid.

Lindblad echoed that race-by-race philosophy, his goal being to "try to do the best I can" and "maximise every time I get in the car."

Should Racing Bulls retain fifth place through to season's end, it would mark the strongest finish in the team's history — sixth being their previous best across all their previous guises. It is a prize that will surely drive them through the remaining 12 rounds of what has already been a remarkable campaign.