Arvid
Lindblad
United Kingdom
·
Junior Formula Series
“My paternal grandfather was an avid motorsport fan and did motocross with my dad. When I was three years old, I had a go at motocross but didn’t enjoy it but then at five my dad bought me my first kart.”
Arvid Lindblad - 2013
© Arvid Lindblad - Private Archive
“I fell in love with karting immediately, the speed and close racing were exhilarating. From this early stage, my passion for karting was ignited and the seed planted for me to push myself to be the very best I could be.”
“My dad has always been very involved in my racing; in the early stages he was my mechanic in England but once I started racing nationally we moved to one of the more established teams.”
Arvid Lindblad - 1st Cadet Win Shenington 2015
© Arvid Lindblad Private Archive
“My dad has always done things his way and not been influenced by what others are doing. He always encourages me to do the same. This approach has been central to my karting path. From the start, my dad emphasised the need for me to develop good driving skills and I worked with some of the best driver coaches in the UK to develop these.”
Arvid Lindblad - Kartmasters PFI 2016
© Arvid Lindblad Private Archive
Despite his incredible motorsport focus, he knows that there are other things in life. “I’m extremely determined and motivated to do well academically and despite the pressures of motorsports, I’ve thrived at school. I have a great passion for Maths and Science and I’ll be taking a number of my national exams (IGCSE) in early 2022, a couple of years early.”
“I’m incredibly busy when the season is underway and as a result when I am free, I like to spend lots of time with my younger brother and family as well as catch up with friends. I also like Swimming, running, cycling and rock climbing.
Arvid Lindblad - LGM Series Winnder 2018
© Arvid Lindblad Private Archive
“My motorsport heroes are Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Despite both drivers entering Formula 1 at a young age, they both showed fearlessness, tenacity and an uncompromising desire to win despite their inexperience and youth. This has motivated me a lot in my own driving to push hard even when I have often been one of the youngest and least experienced drivers on the grid.”
“I am immensely proud that from a young age I have achieved many successes, becoming British Vice Champion when I had only just turned 10 and I am British Champion at 11.”
Arvid Lindblad - Super Masters Series 2020
© Arvid Lindblad Private Archive
“My greatest enjoyment and satisfaction definitely come from winning, this is the main reason I am doing motorsport. But I know that motorsport is a team effort and that a win is down to many things coming together. I get great satisfaction from working closely with the team: mechanic, team principal and engine tuners, to improve performance.”
“The sweetest feeling is turning around the situation when we may be struggling at the start of the week but through good communication with my team, feedback and sheer grit we end up being the fastest in the final and I can pick up the winning trophy.”
“My best race to date is the final round of the European Championship at Wackersdorf, Germany. I was in contention for the championship but it wasn’t completely in my control, I knew that even if I did win, I still might not be champion. But that didn’t phase me, I was motivated and determined to win.”
Arvid Lindblad - FIA EURO Wackersdorf 2020
© Arvid Lindblad Private Archive
“Going into the final, I was struggling a little for pace and the win seemed elusive; I started second and after the start dropped down to fourth. However, I quickly made my way, in two laps, up to second and hunted down the leader. A few laps later, I took the lead. I never looked back and went on to win the race by over one and a half seconds.”
Arvid Lindblad - WSK Super Master Series R2 Lonato 2020
© Arvid Lindblad Private Archive
“My favourite circuit is La Conca which is located on the heel of Italy. It is a very challenging circuit due to its high grip levels and chicanes with high kerbs, making it very difficult to get right. For me, this is the challenge and thrill. It is a track that I have conquered. I am really fast there and have achieved incredible results.”
“I really like tracks with a mix and variety of different styles, grippy, fast, slow, technical as well as hairpins and chicanes.”
WSKEu Championship in Lonato, Italy, 2021
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
"2022 was a tough year, especially with the injury very early in the season which set me back a couple of months. Then when I came back having to go straight into the European Championship wasn’t easy, also having to compete in 2 different categories made the comeback even more demanding.”
Italian F4 Spielberg 2022
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
"Overall though I think it was a good season because challenged me more than I’m used to and have learnt so much from the mistakes I’ve made. Was good to finish karting on a high as well with a podium at the World Championships.”
Italian F4 Monza 2022
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull
"At the end of 2022, I made my debut in F4, it was a difficult start and a steep learning curve but I made good progress across the 3 weekends and feel confident that my 2023 campaign will be a good one."
Italian F4 Monza 2022
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
2023 proved to be intense. "It was a long season, starting in February in Dubai driving for Hitech. “I was really happy to start the season with the UAE F4 series, It was a great learning experience for me. The level was really high and I learnt so much, made all those crucial mistakes that you want to do early in the year so that you can learn from them and move past it.”
Arvid Lindblad on the podium in Dubai 2023
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
“In the end, the results weren't quite what I had hoped, I finished P5 in the championship, but considering that it was my first championship, to be P5 in such a high-level field I wasn't too disappointed.”
Arvid Lindblad in the pit of Dubai - 2023
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
“Then going to Prema and doing the Italian F4 and Euro F4 Championships, I knew it would be a slightly different experience I didn't quite know what expectations to have going into the European season. I was confident and sure to be challenging at the front, I just didn't quite how well I would do.”
Arvid Lindblad racing Italian F4 in Imola 2023
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
Arvid Lindblad leading Italian F4 in Monza 2023
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
"Obviously, I wanted to be challenging for the wins every weekend and for the championship at the end of the season, which we did. I surpassed my expectations with the performance that I had, especially at the beginning of the year.”
Arvid Lindblad on the podium of Italian Formula 4 2023
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
At Prema, he had great people around him and they made sure they were well prepared. “The engineer that I had was Vincenzo (Vincent Garnier) and my mechanics Mauro (Brugnolo) and Laura (Prevot). We did quite a lot of preseason testing after the UAE championship had concluded, there was a 6 or 8-week gap before the Italian series started so that gave us quite a bit of time. We did 5 tests, 2 at Imola, 1 Spa, 1 Monza and 1 in Misano.”
“That was really good, to rack up the laps, it was helpful and effective, crucial for me going into the season as I was a Rookie in Formula 4, most of my teammates were in their second year.”
“I did some work in the SIM but during the season we had such a gruelling calendar that there wasn't much time to be in the SIM. Before most weekends I try to get in the Prema sim and do some work with them. If that wasn't possible I would just do it at home.”
Arvid Lindblad racing at ITA F4 Mugello 2023
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
“The first half of this season in Europe was really strong, it was a constant improvement and progression. Unfortunately, we started to drop off the pace towards the end of the summer, the autumn months, from the end of July onwards.”
“We had a couple of issues that we weren't quite able to get on top of. That was unfortunate because we had a really good start to the year, a really good first half with a good margin, a buffer in the Italian championship.”
Arvid Lindblad on the grid of Italian F4 in Misano 2023
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
He finished the season 3rd in the Italian F4 Championship with 6 victories and 4th in Euro F4.
Arvid Lindblad on the podium of Italian F4 in Monza 2023
© Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
“I would say that the best moments, the best weekend of the year was Monza in the Italian championship. I was on pole and won all 3 races. That was an incredible weekend. Also, I would say Misano, round 2 of the championship, we won 2 out of the 3 races. Unfortunately in Race 1, I had an issue otherwise that could also have been a triple but it was still a great weekend as well.”
“I'm super delighted to continue with Prema into Formula 3 which is an incredibly competitive championship. I'll be racing drivers who have a lot more experience than me, I have 2 very good, very experienced teammates. That will be very good, they'll be pushing me throughout the year.”
“I've got a lot to learn from them and have been trying to maximise these 3 post-season tests. To learn about the car, the tyres, everything, obviously a steep learning curve. It's a big step but I am super excited to do it. There is no team I would rather be doing it with than Prema.”
“I'm grateful for the opportunity and the support from everybody. It is a big step but I see no reason why if I put my head to it, why I can't perform well and do a really good job. I looking forward to it and excited to get started in Bahrain.”