Team-order confusion shadows Racing Bulls' Austria breakthrough

Racing Bulls left the Austrian Grand Prix with a historic double points finish and a messy in-race team-order dispute, as Liam Lawson took ninth and Arvid Lindblad finished 10th at the Red Bull Ring. The result was Racing Bulls’ first double-points finish since the team’s Minardi-era debut in 1985, and its third consecutive double top-10 finish. The team moved to 44 constructors’ points and to within 13 points of fifth-placed Alpine. Lawson extended his points streak to four straight Formula 1 races, the first time a New Zealand driver had scored in four consecutive F1 races since Denny Hulme in 1973. He stayed 10th in the drivers’ standings on 30 points, with six points finishes in his seven completed races this season.

The race was clouded by confusion over instructions from the pit wall. Lawson was told to manage overheated brakes, Lindblad was instructed to hold position, and Lindblad later passed Lawson after the first pit stops and stayed ahead through the middle stint. Lawson voiced frustration on the radio, after an early message had briefly raised concern that his car might be on fire before he later said the issue was brake smoke in the first stint that settled down after the opening laps. Racing Bulls later restored the order by pitting Lawson earlier in the second stops, which let him retake the position. A team spokesperson said the episode came from a misunderstanding about the hold-position instruction, and both drivers downplayed the incident after the race.

Lawson said Racing Bulls had made a step in race pace and said the car settled after the opening laps. He was also cleared of any penalty after an alleged practice-start infringement, with stewards ruling that his actions were appropriate in the circumstances. Lawson said he had not expected an attack from Lindblad and suggested they might need to talk after the race. Lindblad said he was happy with the result, called the weekend a positive learning experience and said he had issues with hard tires and braking.