Racing Bulls concluded qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix with a strong performance at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Arvid Lindblad secured a career-best eighth position, while teammate Liam Lawson finished just outside the top ten. The team’s Head of Trackside Engineering, Mattia Spini, acknowledged the competitive pace shown by rivals Audi and Alpine during Free Practice sessions.
Lindblad’s P8 result marks his highest qualifying position in the 2026 Formula 1 season. The British driver’s car was equipped with a new upgrade package, including a revised cooling system, sidepod, roll hoop, and brake drum, which he reported as performing effectively.
Lawson, however, did not have the same upgrade fitted to his car for the Belgian event. He narrowly missed a Q3 appearance by 0.038 seconds to Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, expressing discomfort with the rear of his car during Q2. Lawson is scheduled to receive the new upgrade for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix.
Following the application of grid penalties to other drivers, both Racing Bulls drivers will start higher than their qualifying positions. Lindblad will commence the Grand Prix from seventh on the grid, while Lawson will start ninth.
Mattia Spini commented on the team’s strategy, noting the use of two Soft tyre sets in FP3 to preserve a Hard set for the race. This allowed for two new Soft sets in Q2, maximising their Q3 chances.
It was a strong Qualifying result for the team, with Arvid taking P8 and Liam finishing just outside Q3. We knew we had an opportunity today, but Audi and Alpine had shown good pace throughout Free Practice, so we had to focus on clean execution and extracting the most from every run.
Lindblad expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating it felt ‘amazing to drive an F1 car on this incredible track.’ He acknowledged a minor time loss in the final chicane but remained pleased with his best qualifying result of the season.
The team’s performance in Belgium builds on a consistent 2026 season. Racing Bulls, powered by Red Bull Ford Powertrains, have scored points in every race so far this year, demonstrating decent one-lap pace with both cars making Q3 in Australia and Lindblad in Japan.
Earlier this season, Lindblad secured points on his debut in Australia with an eighth-place finish and achieved seventh-place results in both the Monaco and British Grands Prix. Lawson has also contributed significantly, scoring points in the Chinese Sprint and Grand Prix, the Japanese Grand Prix, and a fifth-place finish in Monaco.
Audi, in their debut 2026 F1 season, saw Gabriel Bortoleto qualify ninth and Nico Hulkenberg fourteenth. The German manufacturer entered Formula 1 with its own factory team and power unit, anticipating an initial performance deficit against established rivals.
Alpine, running Mercedes power units this season, had Pierre Gasly qualify twelfth and Franco Colapinto thirteenth. The French team has shown improved form in 2026 after focusing development on the new regulations, sitting fifth in the Constructors’ Championship earlier in the year.
Despite not completing a full long run in Free Practice, Racing Bulls are positioned to contend for points in Sunday’s race. The team aims to maximise every opportunity on track.
