Are Racing Bulls the best of the rest?

Credit: Red Bull Content Pool

The 2026 Formula One season has delivered no shortage of headlines. With the new era of regulations reshuffling the pecking order, the domination of Mercedes and the struggles of Red Bull and McLaren, there has been no race weekend lacking a conversation. Amid the chaos, one team’s performance has gone unnoticed.

As we go into the ninth round on the F1 calendar, Racing Bulls have stuck out as a team to keep a close eye on going forward. In what might be the team’s best year yet, the lineup of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad have established RB as genuine contenders at the front of the mid-field.

In today’s sprint qualifying, Lawson and Lindblad kept up with the top four teams and flew their way through to SQ3, securing a ninth and tenth place start in Saturday’s sprint race. Their performance today at Silverstone was far from a one-off and it reinforces the consistency we have seen from the team throughout the opening eight races. 

Flying under the radar

Currently sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, RB sit just behind Alpine and have cut the deficit down to just 13 points. Despite Alpine being ahead in the points, RB have shown more consistency in their results, and arguably have had the more complete package across these first eight rounds. 

The Faenza-based outfit has demonstrated a level of consistency that has often been missing in previous seasons, regularly putting both cars in contention for points and avoiding costly mistakes that can ruin a mid-field campaign.

The success of RB this season comes from the performances of Lawson and Lindblad. Lawson has continued the progress he made after rebuilding his F1 career in his first full campaign in 2025. Each race so far for him has been a series of composed and consistent performances.

Lindblad and Lawson ahead of the British Grand Prix | Credit: Red Bull Content Pool

Alongside Lawson is Lindblad in his rookie season, who has adapted impressively to life in F1. Scoring points in his first race immediately signalled that he wouldn’t need a lengthy adjustment period, and his performances since have backed that up. Lindblad has quickly become a reliable contributor to the team, something that RB have lacked in the past.

This past weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix marked the team’s third consecutive double-points finish, with Lawson and Lindblad combining a score of 23 points across the last three races. Lawson alone has scored 30 points for the team this season, just missing out on two top 10 finishes, highlighting how regularly RB have been in the fight.

The car itself deserves significant credit. The VCARB03 may not possess the outright pace of the top teams, but it has emerged as one of the more balanced and reliable packages on the grid. Solid qualifying performances have regularly placed RB in a position to score points, whilst strong reliability and strategy have allowed the team to capitalise on opportunities when rivals may have faltered.

A team on the rise

RB’s strong start to the season didn’t just happen overnight. 2024 marked the team's first season as RB following its rebrand from AlphaTauri, and since then, they have been climbing back towards the front of the mid-field. Each season has brought incremental improvements, whether through a more competitive car or a stronger driver lineup, the pieces have come together.

The numbers emphasise how crucial that progress has been. The team made up of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsundoda finished the season with 46 points across the entirety of the 2024 season, only two more points than what the 2026 lineup has accumulated in eight rounds. Whilst there were flashes of promise in 2024, the inconsistencies are what let the team down when it came to regular points finishes.

Lawson on track at the Austrian Grand Prix | Credit: Red Bull Content Pool

In 2025 though, the upward trajectory continued with Lawson and Isack Hadjar. By the eighth round of the season, RB had only scored half the points they had managed at the same stage in 2026. Although last year’s campaign laid the foundations for the team’s current position, they again lacked the consistency that has become the team’s greatest strength this season.

With under two-thirds of the season still to go, there is plenty of time for the mid-field order to change. But RB’s progress over these past few months would suggest that this is more than just a temporary hot streak.

The battle for fifth: RB vs Alpine

Whilst the standings are currently in favour of Alpine with a difference of 13 points, fifth place is certainly within reach for RB.

The two teams have approached these first eight races in different ways. Alpine have been able to capitalise when opportunities arise, like in Monaco where the safety cars, red flag and time penalties allowed Pierre Gasly to make his way through to a third place finish and bag 15 points for the team. 

On the other hand, RB have built their campaign on consistency. Rather than relying on the occasional points haul, they have regularly been able to extract the best out of their car to place in the top 10.

Racing Bulls celebrated their third consecutive double-points finish in Austria | Credit: Formula One

The ability to consistently maximise results could prove decisive as the season progresses. In the mid-field, where the margins between teams are often slim, avoiding point-less weekends can make a huge difference compared to securing the occasional standout result. RB have now proved that they can convert their qualifying results into regular points finishes and are gradually closing the gap to Alpine in doing so.

Can RB finish best of the rest?

With 14 races still to go in 2026, the battle for fifth in the Constructors' Championship remains wide open, and RB have shown enough to suggest that they are capable of closing the gap to Alpine up ahead.

This weekend, F1 is back at the iconic Silverstone circuit for the British Grand Prix. This marks a significant milestone for Lindblad in particular as this will mark his first home race as an F1 driver. After already being off to a great start following their top 10 sprint qualifying result, Silverstone could provide another chance for the team to strengthen its case as the mid-field’s standout performer.

So, can RB finish best of the rest? Based on these opening rounds, there is every reason to believe they can. Consistency, a harmonious driver pairing and a strong package has transformed the team as top contenders in the fight. If they remain in their current form for the rest of the year, a fifth place finish would be well within reach.