According to F1 TV analyst Alex Brundle, Racing Bulls has established itself as the "best of the rest" in the current Formula 1 championship.
The Faenza outfit enjoyed a successful weekend at the Red Bull Ring with a double points finish. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad finished the Austrian Grand Prix in ninth and 10th, collecting three points for the team.
During an appearance on F1 TV's post-race show, co-host and former IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe put it to Brundle that many within the paddock had expected the team to slide backwards during the grand prix, wondering if its qualifying pace would have outweighed their race pace.
"It was up and down all over the place for everyone else. They stopped twice. They drove around in ninth and 10th and they finished up at the back end of the points," Brundle said.
"But that's not bad, is it? They're the best of the rest, and they looked like, for the first time in a while, the best of the rest in terms of race pace as well, which is good.
"Drivers both did a good job, but in terms of talking about their race, relatively uneventful for them really. They've delivered the pace that they had in qualifying and got it across the line."
Lawson told Sky Sports F1 after the race that he felt confident in the Racing Bulls machinery before the race, but that the pace even improved throughout the 71 laps.
"Probably after the first stint, we knew that we had good speed, compared to the other guys in the midfield," Lawson told Sky Sports F1. "I think we knew we were on for a decent race. And to be honest, I think our pace got better through the race as well, compared to others, so pretty happy."
Lawson currently sits 10th in the drivers' championship with 30 points, while his rookie team-mate Lindblad is 13th with 14 points. As a result, Racing Bulls is sixth in the constructors' championship with 44 points, 13 points behind Alpine in fifth.
Photos from Austrian GP - Sunday
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