Liam Lawson Promised Priority on Next Racing Bulls Upgrade

Liam Lawson has been promised priority the next time Racing Bulls has a new component available for only one car, after its Belgian Grand Prix chassis upgrade was given first to Arvid Lindblad.

Racing Bulls introduced a smaller roll hoop for the VCARB03 at Spa-Francorchamps, but production constraints meant the modification could only be completed on one car. Lawson retained the previous specification, while Arvid Lindblad received the new component.

Team principal Alan Permane explained that the change required a direct chassis modification. Racing Bulls did not have enough time between the British and Belgian Grands Prix to complete the same work on both cars.

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To decide the first recipient fairly, the team proposed a simple competition between its drivers. Whichever driver qualified higher at Silverstone would use the upgrade during the Spa weekend.

“We could flip a coin, or we could make it a little bit of fun, and whoever qualified in front at Silverstone would get the upgrade. They both signed up for that, and that’s what we did,” Alan Permane said.

Lindblad won the contest by qualifying ninth, one position ahead of Lawson, after beating the New Zealander by more than four tenths in Q3. That result secured the revised roll hoop for his car at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The split specification will last for only one round because Lawson’s car is scheduled to receive the same upgrade at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. Both VCARB03s will therefore return to an equivalent configuration at the following event.

Permane also confirmed that the qualifying-based method will not be repeated. Should Racing Bulls introduce another major upgrade that is initially available for only one car, Lawson will automatically receive priority as compensation for the Spa decision.