How did the VSC compromise Racing Bulls' race at Spa-Francorchamps?
Racing Bulls left the Belgian Grand Prix with mixed emotions after Arvid Lindblad secured ninth place and valuable championship points, while Liam Lawson narrowly missed out following a race compromised by deployment issues.
The Faenza-based squad looked set for an even stronger result in the opening stages at Spa-Francorchamps. Lawson made an excellent start to climb into sixth place and led the midfield, while Lindblad also ran strongly inside the points.
However, the race turned during the pit-stop phase when the pair stopped just before a Virtual Safety Car. The neutralisation allowed Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto to make a cheaper pit stop and emerge ahead of Lindblad, ultimately securing eighth place. Lawson later slipped behind Franco Colapinto during a midfield battle and eventually finished 12th.
Despite narrowly missing out on eighth place, Lindblad was encouraged by another points finish. The rookie enjoyed his race-long battle with Bortoleto.
"Bringing home points today is a great way to wrap up the weekend here in Belgium, especially after showing strong pace from the start. It was a lot of fun out there, and Gabi and I were really pushing each other throughout the race."
Lindblad believes the team had the pace to finish one position higher. The young Briton said he continues to gain confidence with every race weekend.
"I felt that we had the potential to finish P8 today, but credit to Gabi and Audi as they successfully took advantage of the Virtual Safety Car. Every weekend I'm feeling more comfortable in the car."
He also praised the teamwork within Racing Bulls as the squad continues to develop its package: "As a team we're working very collaboratively; understanding each other better all the time and continuing to develop the car."
Seeing that progress translate into points has been particularly satisfying: "It's great to see all of this hard work translate into results on track."
Looking ahead, Lindblad is optimistic about the Hungarian Grand Prix: "I'm feeling confident ahead of racing in Hungary next week. I love the corners and fewer straights, so I'm looking forward to racing at one of my favourite tracks on the calendar."
Lawson, meanwhile, was left frustrated after a promising opening lap failed to develop into a points finish. The New Zealander highlighted his strong getaway.
"It wasn't the easiest race today. We had a really strong start; probably our best of the season, but unfortunately we just didn't have enough pace throughout the race."
Although Racing Bulls began the weekend in a competitive position, Lawson felt rival teams made greater progress as conditions evolved.
"We started the weekend in a decent position, but as other teams found more performance through the race, we weren't able to make the same step forward."
He revealed the team tried several different settings to improve the situation: "We tried a few different modes to improve things, but unfortunately nothing made the difference we were hoping for."
Despite missing the points, Lawson believes there were encouraging signs from the upgraded car.
"Despite that, there are still positives to take away. It's been another encouraging weekend with regards to the car's development and I'm looking forward to having the full upgrade package on my car next week."
With Hungary presenting a very different challenge to Spa, Lawson is hopeful Racing Bulls can return to the points, claiming that "Hungary is a very different track to Spa, so we hope to put ourselves back in the fight for more points."
Team Principal Alan Permane shared the mixed assessment, believing the team had the pace for an even stronger result. He pinpointed the timing of the Virtual Safety Car as the key factor that denied Lindblad eighth place.
"We had a decent race here in Spa, but certainly not without learnings to take forward. We were unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car which allowed Audi to pit stop and subsequently come out in front of Arvid."
The Racing Bulls boss believes Lindblad would otherwise have finished ahead of Bortoleto. On Lawson's side of the garage, Permane confirmed that deployment problems hampered the New Zealander throughout the race.
"Without that, Arvid had the pace to finish in P8. Unfortunately, Liam experienced deployment issues throughout the race which impacted his pace."
However, he expects Lawson to benefit further once he receives the complete upgrade package in Hungary: "Additionally, there will be more pace to extract in Hungary when he receives the full upgrade package on his car."
Permane also praised the work being carried out behind the scenes at Racing Bulls. He concluded by looking forward to one final race before Formula One's summer shutdown.
"The upgrades are looking very strong, so the team back at both our bases have done a fantastic job. We look forward to racing in Hungary ahead of the well-deserved summer break."
