Arvid Lindblad has concluded his debut race in Australia with his first World Championship points. The Racing Bulls driver finished eighth at the Albert Park Circuit, and encountered Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, among others, on track on his way to this finishing position. Lindblad enjoyed his first Grand Prix weekend as a Formula 1 driver: ‘I was really able to show people that if there is an opportunity, I take it with both hands.’
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Arvid Lindblad has concluded his first Formula 1 race with valuable World Championship points. The Racing Bulls driver is the only rookie on the grid this year, but that did not stop the British Swede from immediately finishing eighth in Melbourne. Lindblad looks back on his first Grand Prix with satisfaction after the race.
“I think I was even in third place during the first lap,” Lindblad looks back on his good race start to F1TV. “That was really crazy. I was really able to show people that if there is an opportunity, I take it with both hands. I also had quite a bit of fun, and I enjoyed this whole race weekend a lot anyway. I could have handled some things a bit better, but overall it was a very positive weekend. I was able to get almost the maximum out of the car every session. So I’m looking forward to China.”
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‘Cool to fight with Lewis’
Lindblad’s first race in Formula 1 also meant his first chance to battle with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The latter also encountered Lindblad at the entrance to the pit lane, when, in the words of the Dutchman, ‘that bastard (referring to Lindblad, ed.) suddenly made the whole pit lane slow down’. Nevertheless, the driver mainly enjoyed being able to fight with his idols. “I know I’m the young driver, the rookie. But as soon as I’m in the car, I’m a real rival,” said Lindblad. “I showed that today. It was very fun for me to be able to fight with these guys. I always looked up to Lewis on TV during my childhood, and he is one of the reasons why I fell in love with the sport. To fight with him was really cool.”
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