Ninth in his F1 debut, Arvid Lindblad impresses in Melbourne

Starting ninth on the grid, Arvid Lindblad joined his teammate Liam Lawson (8th) in Q3 for the first race of the 2026 season. Already showing good form during the free practice sessions held on Friday and Saturday morning at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit, the Briton confirmed his potential, even though after a successful first day he might have thought the rest of the field would find their rhythm and relegate him down the standings!

"It was a very good session. We were quite competitive all weekend.", he explained to the official website of the Formula 1. "I tried not to get too carried away after Friday because we didn't know if things were going to change, if the other teams had something left in the tank, that sort of thing."

While the Racing Bulls hadn't particularly impressed observers during pre-season testing in Bahrain, Lindblad confirmed that the team itself hadn't expected to be fighting for Q3 right from the first Grand Prix. For the young rookie, this result is primarily the work of the entire team, even if the ultimate goal rested on his shoulders, and he therefore needed to deliver a clean performance in his very first qualifying session at the pinnacle of motorsport.

“I knew even before the session started that we were fast, and that I mainly needed to focus on myself, do my job, and then we would be competitive. The team did a superb job; it’s very impressive to have two cars in Q3, especially considering where we came from in Bahrain. In my opinion, we exceeded the team’s expectations. I’m very happy and I can’t wait to get out there and race.”

Starting at 5am French time this Sunday, Arvid Lindblad will embark on a brand new experience, that of competing in a Formula 1 Grand Prix… The only rookie on the 2026 grid will become the 782nd driver in the premier category.

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