Racing Bulls have discovered what may be the most sophisticated strategy in modern Formula 1: being competently present while everyone else creates content for Netflix.
While Mercedes and McLaren spent the Miami weekend locked in their latest installment of “which silver car is faster this week,” Racing Bulls quietly positioned both cars in the points through the revolutionary technique of not crashing into things. Liam Lawson finished seventh. Arvid Lindblad took ninth. Nobody noticed until the chequered flag, which appears to be exactly the plan.
The Faenza-based outfit has perfected the delicate balance of championship relevance through strategic irrelevance. As Kimi Antonelli and George Russell traded fastest laps and Lando Norris complained about tire degradation over team radio, Racing Bulls simply… raced. No drama. No controversy. No one asking difficult questions about their existence.
'Are we... are we actually in the points? Nobody told me we were allowed to do that.'
— Liam Lawson, lap 47
Source: the voices in our engineer's headset.
Lawson, who spent the first half of 2025 wondering if his F1 career was over before it began, has embraced his role as the grid’s most competent invisible man. His seventh place in Miami marked his third points finish in four races, achieved through the time-honored tradition of being faster than the cars behind him and slower than the cars ahead.
Meanwhile, rookie Arvid Lindblad continues his education in the subtle art of existing without causing incidents. The 18-year-old Briton has managed to score points in two of the four races while generating approximately zero headlines, which in 2026 F1 counts as a minor miracle.
The contrast with their illustrious neighbors is stark. While Red Bull Racing grapples with Max Verstappen’s increasingly creative complaints about the RB22’s handling characteristics, Racing Bulls simply gets on with the business of racing cars at a reasonable pace. No political intrigue. No driver market speculation. Just two drivers turning left and occasionally right faster than some other drivers.
'Box, box. We're P7. Again. Is this what consistency feels like?'
— Arvid Lindblad, post-race
We found this written on a napkin in the McLaren hospitality.
Team principal Laurent Mekies has perfected the art of managing expectations by having none. While other team bosses engage in elaborate media theater about championship aspirations and development trajectories, Mekies simply acknowledges that his cars go around the track at competitive speeds without requiring emergency meetings or personnel changes.
The strategy appears to be working. Racing Bulls currently sits sixth in the constructors’ championship with 24 points, ahead of both Audi and Cadillac, achieved through the groundbreaking approach of finishing races in the order their pace suggests they should finish.
As the F1 circus prepares for the next round of manufactured drama and genuine speed battles, Racing Bulls will presumably continue their campaign of strategic anonymity. In a sport increasingly obsessed with storylines and social media moments, there’s something almost subversive about a team that simply races cars competently without asking for attention.
The revolution will not be televised. It will be quietly scored in the points column while everyone else is looking elsewhere.
