Rowland: Lawson, Lindblad Push Each Other to New Levels

Oliver Rowland, manager of Arvid Lindblad, has praised Liam Lawson's contribution to the Briton's impressive rookie F1 campaign. The Formula E drivers' champion believes the Racing Bulls team-mates are pushing each other to "new levels" every weekend.

Lindblad has made a promising start to his Formula 1 career, with the 19-year-old establishing himself as a regular points contender across the opening 11 rounds of the 2026 season. Racing Bulls has similarly emerged as one of the midfield success stories, consistently proving itself as the best of the rest behind the established front-running teams.

The Faenza-based outfit entered the summer break fifth in the constructors' championship, having scored points in 10 of the opening 11 grands prix. Lawson has accumulated 43 points to sit ninth in the drivers' standings, while Lindblad is 11th on 23.

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For Rowland, who has worked closely with Lindblad throughout his rapid rise, the progress has been particularly encouraging. "He's started the season in a really good way; we're really pleased," he said. "The team have done an amazing job to bring so many valuable upgrades to the car. They seem to be consistently best of the rest outside the top four."

Lawson's role in that development is notable given his own experience of F1. Now into his second full season, he has established himself as the more experienced reference point within the Racing Bulls garage. The pair often occupy the same part of the circuit, leading to close battles. At Monaco, they finished sixth and seventh, repeating that at Silverstone. Lindblad then secured ninth at Spa after qualifying seventh, completing what Rowland considers his most rounded F1 weekend to date.

"But what's been really nice for us is that Liam's been really solid and fought back, and then Arvid fights back and betters himself," Rowland added. "That's exactly what you want in a team dynamic, where they're pushing each other to new levels every weekend. And, for us, it was discussing, 'Where is he better, where can we be better?' That's a really nice thing to have, especially for Arvid."

For Lindblad, that environment is one where he is expected not simply to learn but to challenge his team-mate. According to Rowland, that competition is already producing the desired effect. The next step is to see whether Lindblad and Lawson can continue pushing one another — and Racing Bulls — towards more "new levels" when the season resumes.