Racing Bulls Mid-Season Review: A new era in the midfield
- Maham Mir
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
As we prepare to head into the second half of the 2026 Formula One season after a lengthy summer break, our F1 writers take you through the state of play with each team on the grid. Currently sitting as best of the rest, Racing Bulls have taken to the new regulations successfully. Will they be able to maintain this momentum in the second half of the season?
Coming into the 2026 season, Racing Bulls arrived at this new dawn of F1 with plenty of questions to answer. Off the back of their joint-best Constructors’ championship finish in 2025, a new driver line-up paired with a new engine partner left their prospects uncertain. However, there’s no doubt that even with all this uncertainty, hopes were certainly high for the team.
As the junior Red Bull team, the team had a significant engine upgrade with their brand new Ford power unit courtesy of Red Bull’s brand-new collaboration project. Adding to the mystery of the 2026 season was their new driver line-up of New Zealand’s Liam Lawson and Britain’s Arvid Lindblad.
A new set of regulations, especially given the extent of the overhaul of these current regulations, is a golden opportunity for midfield teams to progress upwards. Looking at their results from the first half of the season, there can be no doubt that Racing Bulls picked up right where they left off in 2025 to battle for the title of best of the rest. With a successful debut at the start of the season, the team hit a few bumps in the road along the way but maintained both speed and consistency.
How has Racing Bulls fared so far?
The team currently sit in fifth in the Constructors’ championship, a position they took after the final race ahead of the summer break in Budapest, with 66 points. With Lawson and Lindblad, the team have recorded five double-points finishes with their best result being a sixth and seventh place finish at the Monaco and British Grands Prix respectively.
With the sport returning to Melbourne for the opening race, the team opened their account well especially as Lindblad crossed the line in eighth and scored points on debut. However, as the dust began to settle, Alpine emerged as the team to beat in the midfield and it seemed as though Racing Bulls lacked the competitive pace to effectively compete against the Enstone-based team.
After an extended break with the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, the team arrived in Miami where they suffered one of their worst weekends of the season. However, after the disappointment of Miami, Montreal arrived and so did a significant upgrade package which changed the course of their season.
Just ahead of the summer break, with little threat from the teams around, Lawson and Lindblad had taken to racing each other on-track. While this did not cause an issue, there can be no doubt that Team Principal Alan Permane and others on the pit-wall will keep an eye on the situation going into the second half of the season.
Drivers’ Head-to-Head Performance
Lawson’s inclusion in the team (after his high profile demotion from Red Bull last season) and Lindblad’s promotion to the sport, becoming the only rookie on the 2026 grid, have proven to be an excellent combination. From the team’s perspective, Lawson’s experience paired with Lindblad’s youth is exactly the combination they needed for this new chapter in the sport’s history.
Both Lindblad and Lawson, despite the gap in their experience, have remained incredibly close in terms of qualifying and race performance. Overall, Lawson currently sits in ninth place with 43 points and Lindblad stands between the two Alpine drivers in 11th on 23 points.
In qualifying, Lawson has the edge over his teammate and leads by 6-5. One, if not both drivers, have made consistent appearances in the final stages of qualifying. However, despite Lawson being ahead in the head-to-head, it is Lindblad who gave the team their highest grid start so far this season in seventh at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix.
In a similar situation in race performance, Lawson again proved the importance of his experience by leading 8-3. Out of the team’s total of 66 points, Lawson has contributed more with 43 however Lindblad’s success in his rookie season should not be overlooked as he has scored in all but three rounds so far in 2026.
Best Moment
In terms of highlights, the team have many to pick from as their performance so far this season has been excellent except on a few limited occasions. The first of their five double points finishes occurred at the Monaco Grand Prix, a highlight for both drivers even when their final classifications changed after Alpine’s successful post-race appeal for the podium.
Looking at the rookie’s record so far, Lindblad has perhaps exceeded every expectation placed on his shoulders. Achieving a career-best finish of sixth on multiple occasions, it should be no surprise that one of his highlights so far in 2026 would have been his performance at his home Grand Prix in Silverstone. Starting in ninth place, and outqualifying his teammate, the British driver crossed the line in seventh, Lawson one spot ahead at the chequered flag.
As the team’s leading points-scorer, Lawson’s performance so far this season as a whole should not go unnoticed. Bouncing back from a turbulent 2025 season, he hit the ground running in Melbourne and has displayed excellent race-craft on a number of occasions when battling the other cars around him.
Worst Moment
Looking at their season so far, there is little to report in terms of disappointments however trouble could be brewing for the team on two fronts. With their performance at the front steady and consistent, and with the teams behind not causing too many issues, Lawson and Lindblad have taken to battling with each other on-track.
Although there has not been any critical damage caused as a result of one of these battles, the pit-wall will have to keep a close eye on the pair. In a close midfield battle, Permane and the rest of the team will want to ensure they don’t give the other midfield teams the opportunity to outscore them.
Additionally, the reliability of the cars will have to be well-managed going into the second half of the season, especially with the increased number of double and triple headers. Whilst the team have only had minimal struggles so far, with a single DNS for Lindblad in Montreal and a single DNF for Lawson in Miami, it will be imperative that they continue this good run of technical form.
Looking Ahead
Racing Bulls now find themselves in uncharted territory as they hope to claim a title they have never had before: the best of the rest. With one final significant upgrade package in the works, they will need to ensure that they are able to maintain their speed and consistency in comparison to their other midfield competitors.
With the likes of Alpine and Audi bringing upgrades in the second half of the season, Racing Bulls will have to work hard to maintain the upper hand. However, the goal has never been more clear for the team and it seems that everyone on-track and Faenza are up for the challenge.
Edited by Meghana Sree
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