How did Racing Bulls overtake Alpine in the teams' standings?
Racing Bulls ended the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season on a high note at the Hungarian Grand Prix, securing a valuable double points finish that lifted the team ahead of Alpine and into fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
The Faenza-based squad executed a strong strategic race around the Hungaroring, with Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad taking different approaches to maximise their result against a tightly packed midfield.
Lawson made the stronger start of the two Racing Bulls drivers, moving ahead of Lindblad early in the race after the pair started close together on the grid. The team then split its strategies to cover their main midfield rivals, particularly the Audi cars. Lawson adopted a two-stop approach, allowing him to attack late in the race on fresher tyres, while Lindblad committed to a one-stop strategy.
The contrasting tactics worked perfectly. Lawson charged through the midfield in the closing stages to become the strongest performer among the midfield runners, finishing eighth, while Lindblad managed his ageing tyres impressively to hold onto 10th place and secure the final point.
The result marked another important milestone for Racing Bulls, who have consistently developed their package throughout the season and now head into the summer break sitting fifth in the Constructors’ standings.
Lindblad praised the team's progress and highlighted the importance of the result after a physically demanding race.
"It’s a great result for the team to come away with another double points finish today and move up to P5 in the Constructors’ Championship, so there’s a lot to be happy about.
"The team has done an incredible job developing the car, and it’s great to see all of that hard work being rewarded. It wasn’t an easy race for anyone in the midfield, it was mentally and physically demanding, and we had a tough battle with the Audi’s.
"I wasn’t able to maximise the start as well as I would have liked, but those are the kinds of lessons I’ll take into the second half of the season. Overall, it’s been a really positive first half of the year, and we head into the summer break with great momentum. I’m looking forward to coming back refreshed and building on what we’ve achieved so far."
Lawson was pleased with both the car’s performance and the team's strategic execution, especially after a difficult qualifying session had left him with work to do on race day.
"It was a good race for us today. The first corner and lap one was obviously very important for me given I had a challenging Qualifying yesterday. Following a strong start, we knew we had a long race ahead, but the car just felt super strong throughout. A huge thanks to the team who made the right call on the two-stop strategy.
"To have two cars in the points is a great way to round off the first half of the season. To be heading into summer break fifth in the Constructors' Championship is a reflection of all the hard work the team has put in so far this year. While I'm looking forward to recharging over the next few weeks, I'm excited to carry this momentum forward into Zandvoort."
Team Principal Alan Permane praised the team's execution and described the Hungarian Grand Prix as a reward for the work carried out throughout the season.
"It was a long tough race today, but we've been rewarded with a fantastic double celebration, finishing with two cars in the points and moving up to 5th place in the Constructor’s Championship; something we’ve all been working so hard towards. It’s a great way to finish off the first half of the season.
"We always aim for operational perfection and we came very close to that today. It was a good battle with Audi - very close, but we ultimately came out on top.
"The car was strong in both Qualifying and the race and it was executed flawlessly by the team. We’re very happy with the way the race unfolded and we look forward to a very well-deserved break, before returning even stronger in Zandvoort."
