Mixed feelings for Racing Bulls in Barcelona

It is a bizarre sensation to walk away with a double points finish and still feel like you have lost. Racing Bulls managed to put both cars in the top ten in Barcelona, but Team Principal Alan Permane was far from satisfied, describing the team's emotions as having “mixed feelings.” While they are currently sixth in the standings, 16 points behind Alpine, the reality on track revealed that their ambitions have clearly outgrown their current results.

Luck played a cruel hand on Sunday. Liam Lawson was running a solid race until a Virtual Safety Car gifted a cheap pit stop to Pierre Gasly, allowing him to jump ahead. To make matters worse, Franco Colapinto managed to slip past both Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, though the Argentine later dropped from P8 to P10 due to a penalty, gifting a few points back to the team. Still, the underlying pace felt like a step backward compared to expectations.

It was a weekend of what-ifs for the garage. Lindblad had shown serious promise in practice, yet a technical failure—a lack of deployment—ruined his final Q2 run. Lawson managed to salvage a Q3 appearance, but even he called his Sunday “difficult,” citing a lack of pace compared to their rivals. They have made a big jump in performance since Miami, but until they can turn that speed into consistent results, the frustration remains.