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Alan Permane expresses optimism for Liam Lawson's 2026 season following Racing Bulls' recent upgrades. The team has focused on developing a user-friendly car that may outperform expectations.
Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
During the five-week break between Suzuka and Miami, F1 teams have been hard at work developing their 2026 cars. Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane has voiced his confidence in the VCARB03âs latest upgrades.
As has been the case in recent seasons, Racing Bulls have put together another user-friendly car, even if it isnât among the quickest on the grid.
The Italian constructor has stuck to a clear development path, helping them get more out of their package than some might expect. Data from Liam Lawsonâs Chinese GP run even hinted that they may be extracting more performance from their engine than Red Bullâs factory team.
After three rounds, Racing Bulls find themselves just two points behind Red Bull in the constructorsâ standings and have placed at least one car inside the top ten in all four races across both formats this season.
But if they want to climb further up the championship order, theyâll need to address a key issue: their car is 14kg over the weight limit.
The VCARB03 is reportedly the fourth-heaviest car on the grid, so itâs no surprise that aerodynamic upgrades are already being planned.
Speaking via Motorsport Italia, Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane outlined how the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds of the 2026 F1 season has affected their development roadmap for the VCARB03.
The significant upgrade scheduled for Miami was initially planned to debut in Bahrain. In addition to that, development work has continued in parallel on another update set for Montreal.
Permane explained: âWeâll have a close sequence of two updates. It wasnât possible to combine them because the updates intended for the Canadian Grand Prix wouldnât have been ready for the trip to the United States.â
Liam Lawson, who currently holds lead driver status at Racing Bulls due to his experience, would have likely received new upgrades before Arvid Lindblad under normal circumstances. But with more time between races, both drivers will now benefit equally from the changes.
Racing Bulls has implemented significant upgrades to the VCARB03, focusing on user-friendliness and performance enhancements.
Data from Liam Lawson's run at the Chinese GP suggests that Racing Bulls may be extracting more performance from their engine than Red Bull's factory team.
Alan Permane is optimistic due to the team's clear development path and the promising performance of their latest car upgrades.

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Permane confirmed: âWith the original schedule, we would have arrived in Bahrain with two, maximum three sets of new components, while in Miami weâll have enough supplies for both cars.â
The early feedback from Racing Bullsâ engineering team has given Permane reason to believe that their latest round of upgrades will move them closer towards their goals.
He said: âI spoke briefly with the lead engineer and feedback is positive. Youâll see all the aerodynamic updates in Miami and itâs not long until Montreal either. Weâve got some good news coming.â
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