Racing Bulls came very close to scoring points at the Dutch Grand Prix, but Yuki Tsunoda and Arvid Lindblad ultimately had to settle for 11th and 12th places while showing an encouraging pace.
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Lindblad had started his race perfectly before receiving a heavy penalty.
The rookie was given a drive-through for overtaking under yellow flags in the confusion caused by Max Verstappen’s accident on the first lap.
Lindblad in the mix
Relegated far back in the pack, the Brit did not give up and gradually climbed several positions.
He notably stood out in his duels against Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly, before finishing in 12th place: “It’s a bit of a shame for the race. We had a good start, but I got a drive-through for a yellow flag infringement, which practically took us out of the fight for the rest of the race,” Lindblad regrets.
Despite this result, he believes he delivered one of his most convincing performances of the season: “Once back on track, I think it was probably one of my best races of the year in terms of pace, commitment in overtakes, and helping the team whenever I could.”
Tsunoda just shy of points
For his exceptional return to Formula 1, Tsunoda also showed great fighting spirit. The Japanese driver, called up to replace Liam Lawson who moved to Red Bull in the absence of Isack Hadjar, made numerous overtakes and stayed in the fight for points.
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However, his three-stop strategy did not allow him to overcome Fernando Alonso, who had opted for two pit stops. Tsunoda eventually crossed the line in 11th position.
“I did everything I could in the race and really enjoyed it. I missed being on track, fighting wheel to wheel and overtaking, so it was great to experience that again,” he explains. “We were really close to the points and just missed them, which is a shame, but overall, these last few days have been incredible.”
Tsunoda also wanted to thank Racing Bulls for the warm welcome during this impromptu replacement, while wishing Hadjar a speedy recovery.
Permane impressed
Team principal Alan Permane believes the penalty given to Lindblad had practically doomed his chances of scoring points. The Racing Bulls director nevertheless appreciated how his young driver then contributed to his teammate’s race: “It was very difficult, if not impossible, for Arvid to come back after that penalty, but he did an excellent job keeping Gasly behind him, which allowed Yuki to gain ground after his overtake.”
Tsunoda could also have aimed higher without an off-track excursion that cost him time: “Unfortunately, Yuki went off track, which set him back a bit. That said, we were very close to the points and achieving that in a one-race replacement is phenomenal.”
Racing Bulls therefore leaves Zandvoort without additional points, but with reasons for satisfaction. Lindblad showed solid pace despite his penalty while Tsunoda demonstrated he could immediately regain a competitive level after several months without a Grand Prix. The team will now try to convert this performance into points at Monza.
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