Lawson and Lindblad Reflect on Mixed Results at Japanese Grand Prix for Racing Bulls

The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit delivered a tale of two fortunes for the Racing Bulls team, with Liam Lawson achieving a solid points finish and Arvid Lindblad grappling with challenges on his debut at the track.

Liam Lawson started the 53-lap race from P14 but capitalized on a mid-race Safety Car to make his sole pit stop, cycling into the points and ultimately crossing the line in ninth place. Reflecting on the weekend, Lawson highlighted the team's efforts to rebalance the VCARB 03 after a tricky qualifying session.

"From where we started, the doubts we have with obviously the balance we went into Qualifying yesterday, I think we've done a pretty good job to rebalance the car and have a strong race," Lawson said. "It was definitely difficult and we got very lucky with the Safety Car today. Obviously a good result, we'll take the points and try and improve things going forward."

This P9 marked Lawson's third straight points finish, following seventh places in both the China Sprint and Grand Prix. Despite the consistency, he acknowledged the car's untapped potential.

"I think to be honest we haven't actually been that fast but still managed to come away with three points finishes," he added. "So I think when we get a really quick car we'll obviously be in a much better place and if we keep making the decisions we're making I think it's quite exciting."

In contrast, Lindblad's race was marred by misfortune. The young driver reached Q3 in qualifying but missed Free Practice 2 due to a technical issue, making it his first competitive run at Suzuka. He briefly held P8 early on but struggled with energy and battery management, losing positions to Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon. A slow pit stop cost him a spot to Isack Hadjar, and the Safety Car timing dropped him further, resulting in a P14 finish.

"I think I was running P8 after a lap or two and then I think there were a few things I could have managed better on the energy side and the battery side with Max [Verstappen] and Esteban [Ocon] on that first stint," Lindblad reflected. "So I lost those two places and then I was settling in to a nice rhythm before the stop, did the stop which was a bit slow, so I lost a place to Isack [Hadjar] and then the Safety Car came out and I lost another three or four [places]. It's a bit of a shame but I think regardless, there's still a lot to learn, still a lot for me to improve on so I'm going to focus on that."

The mixed weekend underscores Racing Bulls' ongoing development, with Lawson optimistic about future gains and Lindblad focused on personal growth as the team looks ahead.