Racing Bulls find their rhythm in Austria

It was a wild afternoon for Racing Bulls at the Austrian Grand Prix, where Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad managed to drag a double points finish out of the Red Bull Ring. Lawson finished in P9 with Lindblad following closely in P10, a result that brings the squad to within 13 points of Alpine in the Teams’ Championship.

Things started on a knife's edge. Lawson dealt with an investigation for a practice start infringement—eventually cleared by stewards—and a terrifying moment early in the race where he reported his car was on fire. The 24-year-old later clarified, "The first stint I think they were on fire, because I had smoke and couldn’t really breathe for a good few laps there." Thankfully, the brakes settled down, allowing him to focus on the business of racing.

The intra-team battle was fierce. After starting P9 and P10, Lindblad briefly moved ahead during the second stint, only for the team to undercut him with a pit stop a lap earlier for the final stint. While 18-year-old Lindblad admitted he struggled with his braking and hard tyres, he was visibly buoyed by the team's progress. Lawson was equally impressed, noting, "Compared to last week as well, we’ve definitely made a step in long run pace."