Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad shared a contradicting take on an apparent team order error during the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
The Kiwi and the Brit once again put up another sterling performance, securing a double-points finish for the Faenza-based squad in its quest to rule the midfield.
It was another impressive drive from Lawson in the Styrian mountains, where he finished in the points last year, but this time, did not come without some strife.
With the extreme temperatures leaving teams under threat of it causing their cars problems, Cadillac duo Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas both retired early with overheating brakes.
And it appeared that Lawson’s VCARB 03 was following suit, having told his team over radio that his brakes were felt to be reaching a dangerously scorching temperature.
After being instructed to manage the issue, he came under pressure from his rookie teammate Lindblad, but, according to Lawson, this game as a complete surprise.
“The first few laps were very, very hot, and it was just coming through the cockpit,” Lawson told media, including Motorsport Week, after the race. “But it was head down after that, and from there, it was all good.
“We had a strategy and executed that in the first stint, and then we were trying to manage. I was told to manage the brakes, and I wouldn’t be attacked.
“I was, so it was not exactly planned, so I just made sure to stay close in that second stint, and made the pass again.”
Lawson added, when asked if there would be an internal inquiry about the confusion: “Probably, I would think so.”
Lindblad reports ‘good weekend’ with more points in the kitty
Lindblad did not personally promulgate any notion of confusion within the team, and as far as he was concerned, it was another good race overall for the team and for himself, with another points finish to add to the others in his debut season.
“I am happy with the race, it is double points for the team, so overall it is a good weekend,” he said.
“I gave it a good go and at the start of the second stint, got ahead of him, and I was ahead for the whole of the second stint, but then the team boxed me one lap earlier for the final stop.
“So he came out ahead, undercut me, and with new tyres, so I saw that coming, I thought they were going to do that, but it is fine, it doesn’t really matter.
“I had some fun, I got stuck in, and I think I did a good race.”
For Lindblad, it is the perfect platform for his first home Grand Prix, and for both, it was the perfect way to state their case for retention of their seats for 2027, with rumours of Red Bull’s Formula 2 driver Nikola Tsolov continuing to court the attention with a string of impressive Formula 2 performances.
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