Lawson Upbeat as Racing Bulls Starts Strongly at Spa

Liam Lawson and Racing Bulls enjoyed a competitive opening day at Spa-Francorchamps, placing both cars inside the top 10 during Friday's second practice session. Lawson improved from 11th in FP1 to 10th in FP2, finishing just 0.140s behind teammate Arvid Lindblad, though two red flags disrupted the team's planned long-run program.

Why it matters:

Racing Bulls arrived in Belgium with a substantial upgrade package, and the early returns suggest the team has established a solid baseline at one of the calendar's most demanding circuits. For an outfit consistently fighting in the midfield, having both drivers in the top 10 on Friday provides a platform to target Q3, but the true test will come if they can unlock more pace from the soft tyre. With Lawson still 1.490s adrift of pace-setter Kimi Antonelli, the gap to the front remains significant.

The details:

• Lawson set a best time of 1m47.434s in FP2 after recording 1m48.432s in the morning session, where he missed the top 10 by just 0.026s.
• Lindblad was ninth in both sessions, improving from 1m48.234s to 1m47.294s in FP2.
• Upgrades introduced: The team fitted both cars with a revised rear wing, new front brake drum, and a redesigned engine cover. Lindblad also evaluated an additional cooling package.
• Tyre behaviour: The RB showed particularly strong pace on the medium compound but struggled to find the same gains on softs. Lawson moved onto softs earlier for his qualifying simulation, while Lindblad completed part of his afternoon running on mediums.
• Red flag interruptions: The session was halted twice—first by gravel left after Max Verstappen ran wide at Stavelot, then by Pierre Gasly's heavy crash at the Fagnes chicane. The second stoppage left just two minutes on the clock, forcing Racing Bulls to abandon its longer runs.

What's next:

Team principal Alan Permane confirmed the overnight priority is understanding why the car failed to make the expected step on soft tyres. With FP3 and qualifying looming, Racing Bulls needs to translate its medium-tyre competitiveness into single-lap pace if Lawson and Lindblad are to challenge for the top 10 on the grid.