Arvid Lindblad positively assessed his first three races in Formula 1, highlighting the gain in confidence at the start of the season. Despite still having only one points finish, the young driver believes he has demonstrated potential and competitive pace.
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The Racing Bulls rookie has shown consistency and, at times, fought within the top 10. Even with still modest results, the performance in the early stages reinforced the confidence of the eighteen-year-old driver, who also recognizes the need for evolution to remain competitive throughout the season.
In the most recent race, in Japan, Lindblad finished in 14th position after seeing a scoring opportunity slip away. He was in tenth place before making his pit stop on lap eighteen, but the safety car entry, caused by the heavy crash of Haas’s Oliver Bearman, allowed other drivers to gain positions and compromise his race.
Despite the frustration, the young driver highlighted the positive balance of the first races: “It was a big confidence boost for me, these first races, I showed that I have talent, I showed that I am fast in what I can do,” he stated. He also highlighted that, although he has put in good performances, there is still much to evolve, something expected for such a young rookie.
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“I think I had some good and impressive performances, but at the same time there are many things to work on and improve, what is expected being an eighteen-year-old rookie with these very different cars,” he stated.
Lindblad also highlighted the technical challenges of current cars, especially in energy management during battles. According to him, knowing when to use the boost and recover energy is one of the main difficulties, as spending too much can compromise performance in the following laps.
Furthermore, Lindblad emphasized that he still needs to evolve in his understanding of tires and race pace, especially in long stints. In Japan, he stated that he did not have the opportunity to perform long simulations, which made his adaptation difficult at the start of the race. Even so, the youngster highlighted that his start in Formula 1 was encouraging and aims to increase his points tally in Miami, as well as reduce the current six-point gap to his teammate, Liam Lawson, in the championship.
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