Arvid Lindblad believes that drivers who debut in Formula 1 from 2027 onwards will face a more difficult situation than he experienced in his debut season this year. For the Racing Bulls driver, the radical change in cars and power units in 2026 created an exceptional condition for rookies.
Read more F1: Wolff sees difficulty in finding emotional balance while watching son in kart race
According to Lindblad, the new characteristics of the cars made even the most experienced drivers need to develop different skills. Therefore, he does not consider that his rookie status gave him an advantage over names like Lewis Hamilton.
When asked by journalists if he had benefited from arriving in the category precisely in 2026, Lindblad replied that everyone started from a similar base: “Yes, it was new for everyone, but I wouldn’t say that this is an advantage for me. I would say that, because of these cars, this will be a disadvantage for the people who arrive in the coming years,” he said.
The young driver highlighted that the arrival of the new power units forced the entire grid to learn again: “With these engines, we all had to start and we all had to learn. So, whether it’s me or Lewis, who has been doing this for twenty years, for all of us this represents completely new skills. Therefore, it is a level playing field,” he said.
Read more F1: Verstappen says daughter Lily is the greatest prize: «Family is the most important thing»
Lindblad believes that this balance should not remain for long. As current drivers accumulate experience with the technology and characteristics of the 2026 cars, rookies will start arriving without the same opportunity to learn simultaneously with the others: “In the next two years, I think it will be a disadvantage because this is very different from what we all know,” he added.
Lindblad’s debut season has been positive so far, with points in seven of the first eleven races and twenty-three points in the championship, occupying 11th position. His best results were two seventh places, in Monaco and Silverstone, while the driver also emphasized that his goal has always been to reach F1 to compete for wins, without considering an alternative to the category.
Read more F1: Verstappen laments end of Dutch GP in Zandvoort
