Lawson Urges Racing Bulls to Sustain Form After Hungary Points Boost

Liam Lawson has called on Racing Bulls to maintain its momentum through the second half of the season after spearheading a crucial double-points finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The New Zealander took eighth place as the best of the rest, while teammate Arvid Lindblad added a tenth-place result, vaulting the Faenza squad past Alpine into fifth in the constructors' championship.

Why it matters:

The scrap for fifth in the constructors' standings has evolved into one of the season's most consequential battles, carrying significant weight for prize money and long-term technical credibility. Racing Bulls' Budapest performance represents a decisive swing in that contest. With Alpine drawing a blank, the Faenza squad opened a five-point buffer and, crucially, defied widespread predictions that Audi would dominate the midfield at the high-downforce Hungaroring. The outcome suggests the team has married solid race execution with genuine pace at precisely the moment the championship fight demands both.

The details:

• Lawson finished eighth at the twisty Hungaroring, earning the unofficial title of best of the rest behind the leading outfits.
• Lindblad secured the final points-paying position in tenth, delivering a valuable double-points result for the Faenza-based team.
• The combined haul lifted Racing Bulls above Alpine into fifth place in the constructors' standings, establishing a five-point advantage heading toward the summer break.
• Audi arrived in Budapest with elevated expectations. Despite running an underpowered first-generation power unit, its R26 chassis is considered among the closest designs to F1's top teams, particularly on high-downforce circuits.
• Nico Hulkenberg could only extract ninth place for Audi, finishing sandwiched between the two VCARB 03s after passing Lindblad during late-race blue flag chaos.
• Lawson's strong weekend moved him up to ninth in the drivers' championship, edging Alpine's Pierre Gasly by a single point.

What's next:

Sustaining this level through the closing rounds is now the clear priority for Racing Bulls. Lawson acknowledged that while overtaking Alpine before the summer pause was a key objective, defending that position presents a fresh challenge. Alpine will be eager to strike back immediately, and Audi's fundamentally strong R26 chassis remains a latent threat at every downforce-dependent circuit remaining on the calendar. The break offers a brief window to consolidate gains and refine development, but the real test begins when racing resumes and the midfield fight enters its decisive final phase.