Arvid Lindblad has earned praise from the Racing Bulls team for his composed and professional demeanor during the Barcelona Shakedown. Team Principal Alan Permane highlighted similarities to Isack Hadjar's early days, while Chief Technical Officer Tim Goss noted the young driver's clear feedback on the 2026 car. The 18-year-old rookie is gearing up for his first Formula 1 season alongside teammate Liam Lawson.
Arvid Lindblad's initial outing with Racing Bulls at the Barcelona Shakedown has left a strong impression on the team's leadership. The 18-year-old, preparing for his debut Formula 1 season, participated in laps on Day 3 and Day 4 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, familiarizing himself with the 2026 car under new technical regulations.
Team Principal Alan Permane expressed admiration for Lindblad's on-track performance and off-track attitude. "Very impressed with both," Permane said. "He’s very calm, he’s very cool – nothing seems to faze him. He’s a little bit like I described Isack last year – he just wants to learn, he just wants to take in as much information as he can. He’s asking lots and lots of questions, he’s asking lots of advice – how should he do this, how should he do that? And then of course we’re helping him all the way. The most important thing – the pace – it looks like it’s there. The two guys are very similar, so so far so good."
Chief Technical Officer Tim Goss echoed these sentiments earlier in the week, focusing on Lindblad's adaptation to the car's unique demands. "He’s really calm, really professional, feedback is really straightforward," Goss remarked. "For someone so young, it’s really, really impressive. His session in the car has really just been about getting to grips with this breed of car. They’re very, very different, not just the general handling of the car but the way you’ve just got to manage the energy and the energy management, and he’s just been really, really cool, calm, professional. As we’re getting to grips with the balance of the car, his feedback has just been really simple, really clear, so [we’re] really, really impressed with him."
Lindblad first joined the team for their livery launch in January. He and teammate Liam Lawson are scheduled for pre-season testing in Bahrain, with sessions from February 11-13 and February 18-20.