Arvid Lindblad is only three rounds into his F1 career, but the British youngster has already made an impression \u2013 reaching Q3, scoring points and mixing it with some of the sport\u2019s biggest names. Midway through the April gap, he sat down with selected media, including F1.com, to review the journey so far\u2026<\/p>\n
In 2025, more than a quarter of the F1 grid was made up of rookie drivers, with Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, Ollie Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Jack Doohan and Liam Lawson all starting seasons for the first time.<\/p>\n
Fast forward 12 months, and there is only one newcomer on the grid in the form of Lindblad<\/a>, who earned his chance at Racing Bulls<\/a> after a rapid rise through the F4, F3 and F2 ranks with support from Red Bull<\/a>.<\/p>\n The latest in a long line of junior drivers tasked with making F1 their home and fighting for trophies, Lindblad has hit the ground running \u2013 brilliantly qualifying in the top 10 and bagging points at the first time of asking in Australia<\/a>, before reaching the pole position shootout again in Japan<\/a>.<\/p>\n With April bringing an unexpected pause to proceedings, and the first proper chance to review his performances, how is the 18-year-old feeling about what he has delivered in F1 so far?<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, coming in as a rookie, I was mainly focused on myself,\u201d says Lindblad of his approach to 2026. \u201cI didn\u2019t have that much experience with the previous [generation of F1] cars, but these cars are very different to what I was used to. So, for me, expectations-wise, I didn\u2019t really come in with many \u2013 I was just trying to focus on myself and do the best I could.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been really happy with how the first couple of races have gone. It\u2019s definitely been better than I could have hoped for. I think especially Melbourne, and even Japan to an extent, were quite big confidence boosters.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were also moments during those weekends that showed there is a lot of scope for improvement, so that\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to maximise at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cOn more of the team performance side, I think things have been good, especially from where we were in testing \u2013 the results have been better than expected.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of that comes down to the team doing an amazing job on the operational side. We haven\u2019t always been super quick, but we\u2019ve done the basics well. I think that\u2019s helped us to score a lot of points as a team in these first couple of races.\u201d<\/p>\n A ‘very special’ weekend<\/p>\n As referenced above, the first of those points came on Lindblad\u2019s debut at Melbourne\u2019s Albert Park, where he charged his way into the final phase of Qualifying, started from ninth on the grid, vaulted up the order on the first lap and came away with an eighth-place finish.<\/p>\n Pushed for his standout moment up to now, the answer is an easy one.<\/p>\n \u201cFor sure, the highlight has to be Melbourne,\u201d beams Lindblad, who became the third-youngest points scorer, and Britain\u2019s youngest points-scorer, in F1 history. \u201cThe whole weekend was really enjoyable, and very special for me.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously I\u2019d been working towards getting to F1 my whole life, so to have my debut was always going to be a special moment. I had my parents there with me as well, and I think it was the first time in years, maybe seven or eight years, that I had both my parents at a race.<\/p>\n \u201cThen also just the way the weekend went: Q3 at my first attempt, running P3 at some point on Lap 1, and scoring points. It was a very special weekend, and I couldn\u2019t even have dreamed of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The mental capacity in F1<\/p>\n It should be noted that not everything has been smooth for Lindblad, with China representing a more challenging weekend via technical issues and spins at a Shanghai track he had never been to before, but regardless of the end result at the first three rounds, he is soaking up information like a sponge.<\/p>\n Arguably even more so given the major regulation changes introduced in 2026, which have made for a very different experience behind the wheel compared to previous generations, and given the drivers a host of new power unit-related tools<\/a> to play with.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the biggest thing, and I already kind of knew it a bit, just from the FP1 running I did last year\u2026 but the step from F2 to F1, especially on a mental capacity side, is quite big, because there are so many things you can manage, and there are so many things you can control within the car,\u201d Lindblad explains.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can change the balance, there are many more tools available, and this year [with the new regulations], there\u2019s even more of that through the power unit. The way we drive, we can change the way we get the power, all this kind of stuff. So, just being able to deal with that better is something I\u2019m working towards.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s very normal. As a rookie, there are so many new things going on, and even lots of the very experienced drivers are saying that there\u2019s so much going on. It\u2019s something that we\u2019re all learning, but I think that\u2019s maybe a bigger area of improvement that will come.\u201d<\/p>\n That leads on to another part of life as an F1 driver that Lindblad is getting used to.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably just the amount of our job that is not driving,\u201d he smiles. \u201cCompared to other categories, compared to when I grew up looking at the sport, there are a lot more things we have to do that aren\u2019t just [about] driving the car. I mean, that\u2019s the way the sport\u2019s going, and that\u2019s where I think a lot of sports are going.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso, it\u2019s just an appreciation of how big the sport is as well. I mean, yes, I\u2019ve been in F2, F3 on the F1 weekends [in previous seasons], but to appreciate how many fans there are, and how big the sport is\u2026 it\u2019s pretty cool to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n One person who has only recently gone through that process as a Red Bull junior is Lindblad\u2019s team mate, Lawson<\/a> \u2013 the New Zealander enjoying his own strong start to the 2026 season with points finishes at two of the first three Grands Prix.<\/p>\n For Lindblad, the on- and off-track dynamic between the pair \u2013 with glimpses seen through Racing Bulls\u2019 amusing social media activities at each race weekend \u2013 is another positive to take from the early stages of his F1 career.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been fun,\u201d he says of working with Lawson. \u201cWe\u2019ve known each other for a while [as Red Bull juniors], which always helps. I think we\u2019ve got along well, it\u2019s been a good vibe in the team, and I\u2019ve enjoyed sharing the garage with Liam. We\u2019ve gelled quite well together, and also helped to push the team forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWith such a big regulation change, the rate of development for the team is massive, especially compared to last year, where the engine\u2019s been the same for 11, 12 years, whatever, and where it\u2019s the fourth year of the car [generation].<\/p>\n \u201cI think just having a unified opinion, being able to discuss things, and really give that clear feedback to the team, has been positive.\u201d<\/p>\n