Lawson hails Racing Bulls gamble after ‘doubting’ team's call

Racing Bulls turned a chaotic Bahrain Grand Prix into a points bonanza, with Liam Lawson crediting the team’s bold strategy calls and slick execution for putting him in a position to capitalize when the race descended into mayhem.

Lawson admitted he was far from convinced when the team sent both him and rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad onto intermediate tyres for the start at Sepang. With the grid split between slicks and inters and the track still wet, it was a gamble that could easily have backfired.

Instead, the decision transformed Racing Bulls’ afternoon. Lawson rocketed away from his starting position and found himself battling Max Verstappen for third into Turn 1, while drivers on slicks predictably struggled massively for grip.

Racing Bulls gets the big calls right

The blistering start gave Lawson track position, but the team’s strategy kept him in contention as conditions evolved. By his own admission, there were moments when he questioned the calls being made from the pit wall.

“I didn't expect to be fighting Max into Turn 1 from where we were starting, but yeah, the car hooked up,” he said after the race.

“Very, very happy, very proud of the team—all the right decisions today with tyre choices, as much as sometimes I doubted it, to be honest.

“I think we had quite a quick car as well, especially that second stint was very strong for us.”

Lawson eventually found himself running ninth in the closing stages, seemingly destined for a solid but relatively modest points haul. Then the race threw one final opportunity his way.

George Russell’s Mercedes retired from third under the Safety Car on Lap 50, while Lando Norris was caught out by the slowing field and ran off track. The double drama suddenly promoted Lawson two places, giving Racing Bulls a much bigger reward for its earlier gamble.

“There was a point in the race where I thought, you know, I feel like we've done a lot here all for a P9, and then we obviously got very lucky in the end there,” he said.

“To be honest, I kind of wish I'd fought Oscar more because I passed him in Turn 1, and then I didn't really defend too hard into Turn 4.

“I just braked a bit early because I expected them to be a lot quicker, and they didn't really drive away that much, so, yeah. But fairly happy with P5.”

Whatever the precise finishing-position reference in Lawson’s comments, his afternoon had become a major success for Racing Bulls.

Lindblad makes it four in a row

The other side of the RB garage produced an equally impressive recovery. Lindblad started dead last after grid penalties, but the decision to put him on intermediates allowed the rookie to exploit the treacherous opening laps and immediately gain ground.

The late chaos ultimately lifted him into the points for a fourth consecutive race – an outcome the 19-year-old admitted had seemed wildly optimistic from the back of the grid.

“It's probably the busiest day of my F1 career and the outcome is pretty amazing. To be in the points from starting last is more than we could have ever imagined,” said the Briton.

“I think from that side it's really good, amazing day for the team, amazing day for the whole Red Bull family, credit to Max [Verstappen] and RBPT. It's the first win for this engine, it's been absolutely amazing all year so I'm super happy for them.

Read also:

• Team Talk: A chaotic Sunday at Sepang

“On my side, I'm not that happy with my own performance. Obviously there was some good stuff but there was a good part in the middle where I was just too slow, so I need to understand why and why I've been a little bit weaker I'd say in long runs than short runs this year.

“I've always felt good in Qualifying but the race is normally a bit more difficult, so I need to understand why that is, but super happy for the team. They've all done an absolutely perfect job, it's honestly thanks to them that we've got this performance today.”

For Racing Bulls, it was a day when instinct, timing and execution all clicked. The weather created the chaos, but the team was ready to exploit it.

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