Lindblad apologises to Lawson after Racing Bulls collision costs team-mate points in Baku

Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad issued a public apology to team-mate Liam Lawson on Sunday after the pair collided during a safety car restart at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, ending Lawson’s points hopes and leaving a hole in his floor.

The incident unfolded at Turn 1 when Lindblad braked later than both Lawson and Haas driver Esteban Ocon, who were ahead of him in the queue. Caught in restricted space between the two cars, Lindblad made contact with Lawson, sending him into a spin. Lawson recovered but could only manage 12th, outside the points. The stewards reviewed the incident and took no further action, citing the limited room available to Lindblad at the time.

Despite the chaos, Lindblad went on to finish seventh and collect six championship points — a result he described as a strong recovery on a difficult weekend for the team. Writing on his Instagram story after the race, he was candid about his frustration with how he had handled parts of the weekend.

“Strong race today, really happy to bring it home in P7,” Lindblad wrote. “It’s not been an easy week, and I’m frustrated with how I handled some of it. We’ve struggled as a team too, so I’m really happy with how we bounced back and maximised today on a difficult weekend. Big shoutout to the PU boys — you gave me an absolute rocketship today. Gutted about what happened with Liam — sorry mate. Glad we were still able to bring some points home for the team.”

Lawson was less measured in his immediate reaction after the race, saying the contact had come without warning and left him baffled by his team-mate’s decision-making. “We’re all coming into Turn 1 on the restart, and I just got smoked from my left, put a hole in my floor as well,” he said. “I don’t really know what gap he was looking for. In the middle of both of us going into Turn 1, I just don’t understand it.”

The stewards’ decision to take no further action means Lindblad keeps his seventh-place finish, but the episode will add pressure on the young British driver — one of the most high-profile rookies of the 2025 season — to manage his racecraft more carefully in the rounds ahead. For Racing Bulls, having both cars involved in an avoidable incident underlines the delicate internal dynamics that come with fielding two drivers still establishing themselves at the top level.