Starting dead last on the grid and climbing into the points is the kind of Sunday drive drivers dream about. That is precisely what Arvid Lindblad pulled off in Malaysia, marching from P22 all the way to a P10 finish at the Sepang International Circuit.
The Racing Bulls driver faced a steep mountain to climb before the lights even went out on the 55-lap race. Grid penalties for new engine components forced the 19-year-old rookie to take up the rear, but early chaos on a damp track completely changed the complexion of his afternoon. Choosing to start on intermediate tyres proved to be a masterstroke as rivals gambling on slick tyres slipped down the order. Late drama helped seal the deal, including a retirement for Mercedes driver George Russell and an off-track excursion for Lando Norris in the McLaren behind the Safety Car.
It's sort of two weekends where Alpine has been a bit quicker than us but we've managed to out-score them,
"It's probably the busiest day of my F1 career and the outcome is pretty amazing. To be in the points from starting last is more than we could have ever imagined," Lindblad said. Despite the result marking his fourth consecutive points finish, the rookie was brutally honest about his own pace behind the wheel. He admitted to a sluggish phase in the middle of the race and pointed out a lingering gap between his strong one-lap qualifying speed and his long-run race pace.
It was a stellar outing all around for the Red Bull family. Max Verstappen took the victory powered by an RBPT engine, prompting praise from the young Racing Bulls charger. "It's the first win for this engine, it's been absolutely amazing all year so I'm super happy for them," Lindblad noted, giving full credit to the team for executing a flawless strategy.
Liam Lawson added to the celebrations inside the garage with a brilliant drive to seventh place. Starting from P11, Lawson delivered an incredible launch off the line that allowed him to battle eventual winner Max Verstappen for third place on the opening lap. That brilliant execution on race day pushed Racing Bulls 22 points clear of Alpine in the fight for P5 in the Teams' Championship, especially with neither Pierre Gasly nor Franco Colapinto managing to score points.
"It's sort of two weekends where Alpine has been a bit quicker than us but we've managed to out-score them," Lawson reflected on the championship battle. "I think that's really been on good decision making today on the strategy for the start. I had one of the best starts I've ever had in my career and that put us in a great position for the rest of the race."
