Liam Lawson has hailed Racing Bulls' development programme as "by far the strongest" he has seen during his time with the team, with the Faenza-based outfit punching well above its weight through the first half of the F1 season.
The New Zealander sits ninth in the drivers' championship on 43 points, having delivered a string of consistent results that include season-best finishes of sixth in both Monaco and Silverstone.
Racing Bulls, meanwhile, hold fifth in the constructors' standings with 66 points, establishing itself as the leading midfield force behind the top four of Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.
It is a marked step forward for a team that has often struggled to maintain momentum across a full campaign, and Lawson, who has been in and around the Red Bull since before his F1 debut in 2023, believes the improvement is rooted in the quality of upgrades being delivered to the VCARB 03.
Asked whether this is the strongest he has seen Racing Bulls over that time, the 24-year-old was unequivocal in his view.
"On the development side, by far the strongest," Lawson told media, including RacingNews365. "So far, I think everything we've been bringing has been working very, very well.
"And that's something that is hard in Formula 1. Obviously, you have upgrades that are run through simulations and theoretically can be better, but they're not always exactly what they seem."
That correlation between the wind tunnel and the track is a persistent headache for teams up and down the grid, especially at the start of a new regulations era when the development curve is so steep.
For Racing Bulls to find that its parts are performing as expected is no small feat, including a step forward with its recent floor and chassis upgrade, and the results reflect it.
The team has scored points at virtually every round this season, save for Miami, with Lawson and 18-year-old team-mate Arvid Lindblad regularly both finishing inside the top 10.
Beyond the raw pace brought by upgrades, Lawson pointed to a broader operational sharpness that has helped Racing Bulls extract the most from each weekend.
"So for us, it's been really good, and I think we've got very strong at really maximising our package each weekend as well; starting a lot closer to our qualifying setups and having quite an aggressive car," he added.
"But for us, it's been good to drive. So I've been very, very happy with that."
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