The cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix has created an unexpected five‑week void in the early 2026 Formula 1 calendar, leaving teams to recalibrate their development plans and drivers to reset before the season resumes in Miami.
For Racing Bulls, the pause arrives after a quietly efficient opening trio of races in Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka — all of which yielded points and a clearer understanding of the RB‑02’s early strengths and limitations under the new regulations.
Making the most of the break
For Liam Lawson, the downtime has been both restorative and productive.
“It’s been good. I was in New Zealand for over a week as I had to get a new passport sorted,” he said. “I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with my family, who I don’t get to see that often, and I rode my dirt bike quite a bit. I’m using this time to prepare for Miami, with a lot of simulator work planned and time at Faenza to spend with the team at the factory.”
Rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad has taken a similarly balanced approach, using the gap to consolidate his early‑season learnings.
“This has been an unexpected break, so I’ve been maximising the time off and trying to learn as much as I can from the first couple of races and take away the key learnings,” he explained.
“I’ve also been doing some training alongside sim sessions. The first few races weren’t too warm, but now that it’s going to start getting hotter, I’m making sure I’m well prepared for that.”
A positive opening phase
Both drivers agree that Racing Bulls extracted close to the maximum from the first three rounds. “Pre‑season was good, and we arrived in Melbourne quite strong, stronger than in the other two races,” Lawson said.
“We’ve maximised what we could from the speed we have, and the team has done a really good job. We’ve been able to score in every race this year, which gives us a good platform to keep building.”
Lindblad, still settling into his first full F1 campaign, emphasised the value of consistency and execution.
“I didn’t set too many expectations, I’ve just been focused on learning,” he said. “I’m really happy with how the first few races have gone… The team has done a good job on the operational side, and we’ve executed the basics well, which has helped us score points as a team.”
Navigating a fierce midfield
The 2026 regulations have reshaped the competitive order, compressing the midfield and introducing new performance trade‑offs — particularly around energy deployment and corner‑entry balance.
“This year, there’s quite a big difference between the balance you can extract performance‑wise through corners — on throttle especially in Qualifying — compared to how much battery you’re using,” Lawson noted.
“That’s probably been the biggest challenge for us as drivers to get used to… Our power unit has been very strong, particularly for a first‑season PU. Once we find more raw speed and downforce, we’ll be in a much stronger position.”
Lindblad echoed the sense of fluidity in the competitive picture: “It’s still very early to say, because everything is changing week by week,” he said. “The engine has been strong, but there are still areas where we can improve… There are a few areas we need to develop, but that’s to be expected with these new cars.”
The 2026 technical framework — lighter cars, revised aero, and a radically different power unit philosophy — continues to challenge teams.
“It’s been a very different start to the season, the cars are very different, and we’re still trying to get our heads around them,” Lawson said. “From a regulations point of view, the biggest priority is safety… On the performance side, things will always evolve and we’ll get faster over time.”
A strong team dynamic
One of Racing Bulls’ early strengths has been the synergy between its drivers, who share a long history in the Red Bull programme.
“It’s been seamless and very smooth,” Lawson said. “How we work together and communicate with the team is very important… Arvid has done a great job coming in as a rookie and performing the way he has.”
Lindblad agrees the partnership has accelerated the team’s progress: “We’ve known each other since the early days of the programme, which definitely helps,” he said. “We’ve gelled well, and together we’re helping push the team forward.”
With development cycles compressed under the new rules, the next phase of the season will hinge on upgrade efficiency and adaptability.
“The main focus for us, and for the rest of the teams, is development,” Lawson said. “We’re going to see some big upgrades coming… Reliability has been very strong, and from a strategy point of view we’ve also done a great job.”
For Lindblad, the priority is continued growth: “The big thing for all of us will be the changes in Miami and being able to adapt to them,” he said. “For me, it’s about continuing to learn and improve.”
