Arvid Lindblad admitted concern about the sequence of technical problems that have been limiting his progress in Formula 1. The Racing Bulls driver lost important track time in China, Japan, and Miami, a situation that, according to him, directly harmed his development in his debut season.
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Even with a good start to the championship, with an eighth place right in the debut in Australia, the British driver has not yet been able to repeat the performance in the following stages. Since then, Lindblad finished behind teammate Liam Lawson in the two races where both received the checkered flag.
The eighteen-year-old faced difficulties again in Miami, where he lost the Sprint race for the second time this year due to car problems. After the race, he acknowledged that the lack of mileage compromised his preparation for the rest of that weekend quite a bit.
“We knew before the start that it wouldn’t be easy, especially being with less mileage after losing the Sprint, but honestly, the first stint was not good. I had a lot of difficulty with the Medium tires and it was not a very comfortable drive,” Lindblad said.
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The young driver explained that the car’s behavior improved after switching to hard tires. According to him, confidence increased and the pace became significantly more competitive in the final part of the race: “As soon as we put on the hards, I felt much better and it became much more enjoyable to drive. I think, overall, the pace improved a lot. We need to analyze and understand what I could have done better and also what we, as a team, could have done differently,” he said.
Even frustrated with the sequence of setbacks, the driver emphasized that he is still in the learning phase in Formula 1. For him, the first laps of the race in Miami served as an important experience to better understand the car’s behavior in race pace: “In the first twenty laps I learned a lot. Even if I had started the race already on lap twenty, that would have made a huge difference. In the end, we are all doing our best and I hope this does not happen again in Canada,” he added.
The British driver also avoided turning the problems into a reason for discouragement. Lindblad said he sees the situation as part of the natural challenge of the category and assured he is satisfied with his first experiences in Formula 1: “I don’t really see this as something frustrating. Complaining won’t change anything. It is what it is. It’s a challenge, but I like this challenge. I have really enjoyed these first races and I am enjoying driving the car at this moment,” he concluded.
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