Rowland: Lawson and Lindblad rivalry pushing Racing Bulls to 'new levels'

Liam Lawson is proving to be more than just an experienced benchmark for rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls. According to Lindblad's manager and Formula E champion Oliver Rowland, the two teammates are locked in a mutually beneficial duel that is pushing both drivers — and the team — to "new levels" every weekend.

Why it matters:

In the midfield, a team's ultimate success often hinges on the quality of its driver pairing. Racing Bulls has built its 2026 campaign around two closely matched competitors rather than a traditional veteran-rookie hierarchy, generating consistent points and reliable feedback for car development. That internal tension, when managed well, is precisely what separates a solid midfield operator from one that can consistently challenge the established elite.

The details:

• Racing Bulls holds fifth in the constructors' standings after 11 rounds, having scored points in 10 of those races.
• Lawson sits ninth overall with 43 points, including sixth-place finishes at Monaco and Silverstone.
• Lindblad is 11th with 23 points, having secured seventh at both Monaco and Silverstone and added points in Australia, Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
• The duo has finished in tandem on several occasions, most recently sixth and seventh at Silverstone, demonstrating their similar race pace.
• Rowland credited the Faenza squad's upgrade programme for keeping the car at the head of the midfield, noting the difficulty of delivering effective parts in modern F1.
• He identified Spa-Francorchamps as Lindblad's most complete weekend yet, after the teenager qualified seventh and finished ninth.

What's next:

The season's second half will test whether Racing Bulls can sustain its midfield dominance and if Lindblad can continue erasing Lawson's experience advantage. If their intra-team rivalry remains constructive, Faenza could pull further clear of the chasing pack and solidify its reputation as the grid's most efficient points-scoring operation outside the top four.