Racing Bulls Benefit from Stewards' Decision in Midfield Battle

The stewards’ room has reshaped the podium – and with it, the midfield fight.

Pierre Gasly’s disqualification has handed Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar the final spot on the rostrum, elevating the rookie to his first Formula 1 podium since stepping up from sister team Racing Bulls at the start of the year. A promotion on paper, yes, but a landmark moment all the same for a driver still finding his feet at the very sharp end.

Oscar Piastri also gains. The McLaren driver, who had already swallowed an in-race penalty that Gasly escaped at the time, is bumped from fifth to fourth. The timing sheets now reflect what his pace probably deserved on the day.

The real winners, though, sit in the blue and white of Racing Bulls.

Initially, Liam Lawson watched his hard-earned fifth place get knocked down to sixth in the first wave of post-race revisions, one of four drivers caught in the ripple effect of Gasly’s initial appeal. Now that decision has been overturned, his original result is restored – and with it comes his best finish of the season.

Two points doesn’t sound like much. In this midfield, it’s huge.

Lawson’s tally climbs from 49 to 51, while Gasly’s drops sharply from 44 to 35. That swing reshapes the battle to finish ninth in the drivers’ standings – the unofficial title of “best of the rest” outside Formula 1’s established top four teams. Lawson now has momentum, and crucially, a cushion.

Arvid Lindblad also feels the uplift. The youngster moves up from seventh to sixth, another quiet gain that carries real weight in the constructors’ table. Collectively, those adjustments push Racing Bulls 14 points clear of Alpine in the contest for fifth in the constructors’ championship – a position that matters deeply when budgets, bonuses and winter development plans are drawn up.

All eyes now turn to Monza, where both Racing Bulls and Alpine get another crack at shaping that story at the Italian Grand Prix. The stage is perfect: low downforce, high speed, and a circuit that punishes hesitation.

Lawson, though, will be watching that particular fight from a different garage. His promotion to Red Bull to stand in for the injured Hadjar means Racing Bulls lose one of their key point-scorers for a pivotal weekend.

For one team, that’s a headache. For Lawson, it’s the kind of opportunity that can change a career.