Arvid Lindblad admitted to being ‘a little disappointed’ for not having received an opportunity at Red Bull Racing in the Formula 1 Italian GP. The Brit, however, acknowledged the reasons that led the team to keep Liam Lawson in Isack Hadjar’s car.
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Hadjar suffered a wrist fracture during training in the August break and will miss his second consecutive race. Lawson, who replaced him at the Dutch GP, remained in the RB22 after a consistent weekend in Zandvoort, where he advanced to Q3 and finished seventh in the race, being the only Red Bull driver to complete the race, as Max Verstappen crashed alone on the first lap.
The decision was also strengthened by Lawson’s performance in the Netherlands. The New Zealander qualified just 0.115 seconds behind Verstappen and scored six points, in addition to showing a controlled and mature performance, factors that favored the driver’s continuity.
Lindblad had already understood the choice in Zandvoort, mainly because he was only halfway through his rookie F1 season and had never competed on that circuit: “It would be a bit riskier with me. Obviously, as a driver, I would have liked the opportunity, but at the same time, I completely understand why they did what they did,” he said at the time.
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Now, with Lawson already adapted to the main team’s car, Lindblad considers the decision even more logical: “I think I already answered that in Zandvoort. I think it was unlikely they would switch now, it would have been stranger. In the end, Liam is used to the car. He did Zandvoort, so it makes more sense to keep him,” he added.
Even accepting the decision, the Racing Bulls driver acknowledged that he would have liked to have received the opportunity: “Like any driver, I’m a little disappointed for not having had the chance, because we all want to fight at the front and do our best. But I understand the decision. So, it is what it is,” Lindblad concluded.
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