Racing Bulls' F1 team order confusion and controversy at Austrian GP explained

A solid double points finish for the Racing Bulls Formula 1 team at the Austrian Grand Prix was soured by a team order controversy. 

The Racing Bulls pair qualified in ninth and tenth, and ran together in the early laps. Liam Lawson had some issues with overheating brakes and was told to manage them. He was assured that he would not face a challenge from Arvid Lindblad, who had been told to hold position.

However immediately after the first pit stops Lindblad ignored what he had been told and passed Lawson, and then subsequently stayed in front through the middle stint.

A frustrated Lawson told his engineer that it was the “last fucking time I'm listening.”

At the second stops the positions were in effect corrected as Lawson was called in first, and he duly got back ahead and ran in front of Lindblad to the flag. They finished where they had started, in P9 and P10.

A team spokesperson confirmed that “there was a misunderstanding from Arvid when it came to holding his position. Liam was managing his brakes under the assumption there would be no battle.”

Lawson made it clear immediately after the race that he wasn’t pleased with what happened, although later the two drivers left the track together.

“We had a strategy and executed it in the first stint,” said the Kiwi when asked by Crash.net about the contest with his team mate. 

“And then we were trying to manage, or I was told to manage brakes, and I wouldn't be attacked. And then I was. 

“It was not exactly planned, so I just made sure to stay close in that in that second stint, and made the pass again after the second stop.”

Asked if it was something that he’d have to talk about with Lawson he said: “Probably, I would say.”

He also denied that he wasn’t happy: “I'm happy, we had a great day. P9, I think with all the top teams finishing, that's really the maximum we can do. So yeah, I'm happy with today.”

Lindblad meanwhile was keen to downplay any tension in the camp.

“Overall, it's been a good weekend,” he said. “I gave it a good go at the start of the second stint, and got ahead of him. 

“I was ahead for the whole of the second stint, and then the team boxed him a lap earlier for the last one, so he undercut me, came out ahead, because of the new tyres. 

“I kind of saw that coming. I thought they were going to do that, but that's fine. It doesn't really matter. I had some fun, I got stuck in. I think I did a good race.

“So I think for me, honestly, I'm more going to look at myself, what I could have managed better, because of a few things, just on the driving side, on a pace side, I think I could have managed better. So, I'll just focus on that, continue to learn, but I think I did a good race today.”

Lindblad confirmed that he’d been told to hold station after Lawson got back ahead.

"Yeah, I thought I'd wait and play it a bit differently, and see if I had an advantage at the end, I could have a go, and honestly, I was actually doing pretty well in the whole of the last stint. 

“I just lost quite a lot more time with the blue flags, because I was running, around 1.5 [behind] or less for most of the stint, and it creeped up a little bit at the end because of the blue flags.”

Asked if he was happy with how things played out given Lawson’s obvious frustration he said: “Finished P9 and P10, it worked out pretty well. There was no threat from behind.”