Arvid Lindblad says he “showed people some of what I came here to do” after finishing eighth on his Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix.
The 18-year-old Bulls driver became the youngest Briton to start an F1 race on Sunday when he qualified ninth and briefly moved up to third on the first lap after a dramatic start to the season opener in Melbourne.
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Lindblad’s top-10 finish means he becomes the third-youngest F1 points scorer at 18 years and seven months, behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
“When I was five years old I had a dream, my dream was to join Formula One and today I’m living my dream,” he told Sky Sports.
Lindblad, who finished sixth in the Formula 2 standings last year, is the only rookie this season joining the sport during the biggest rules change in its history.
His confidence was evident at lights out as he moved briefly from eighth to third ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and defending champion Lando Norris.
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“I’m going to do my best. I think I showed that on the first lap,” Lindblad said.
“I have a lot of respect for the senior guys in the sport and they’ve done a great job, but I’m also not going to give up and give that spot to them.
“I’m here to fight and when I’m in the car I’m a ruthless competitor.”
Lindblad’s mother, Anita, is of Indian descent, and his father, Stefan, is Swedish. He is proud of his heritage, as shown by the British, Swedish and Indian flags on his racing helmet.
He joined the Red Bull junior program at the age of 13 and made his single-seater debut in 2022 at the age of 15.
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His performances caught the attention of Red Bull’s former motorsport adviser Helmut Marko and his performances in Formula 4, Formula 3 and Formula 2 improved rapidly year on year.
He outperformed his more experienced teammate Liam Lawson, who finished 13th at Albert Park on Sunday.
He sees Ferrari’s Hamilton, who made his F1 debut five months before Lindblad was born, as a “big reason” for his F1 career.
“I fell in love with the sport, watching Lewis race on TV,” Lindblad said, adding that it was “absolutely crazy” to race on track with his F1 hero.
“There were a lot of nervous moments today,” he said.
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