BRITISH ASIAN driver Arvid Lindblad savoured a memorable Formula One debut on Sunday (8) as the teen talent battled Max Verstappen and claimed championship points for the Red Bull feeder team.
The youngest-ever British F1 racer, 18-year-old Lindblad started ninth on the grid at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, and finished eighth in a race won by Mercedes' George Russell, leaving his 13th-placed Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson in the shade.
Having barely put a foot wrong through the whole weekend, Lindblad said he was living the dream.
"I'm pretty speechless to be honest, it was a pretty nuts race," he told Sky. "Coming into the weekend, points were not on the expectations.
"I had hopes after yesterday but I'm extremely happy. I'm extremely grateful to everyone from the team .... for giving me the package to fight.
"But to be honest, saying points on debut doesn't really summarise the race. (The) Big P3 at one point in lap one was a lot more than I expected.
"I think I showed people a bit of what I am here to do."
Lindblad's effort was reminiscent of Kimi Antonelli's impressive debut at Albert Park last year when the 18-year-old Italian came fourth for Mercedes and became the youngest F1 debutant to score points.
Antonelli was runner-up behind teammate Russell on Sunday, as Mercedes dominated the season-opener.
Lindblad, the only debutant starting the F1 season, defended valiantly against Red Bull's four-times world champion Verstappen, who started 20th on the grid after a crash in qualifying.
Verstappen eventually got the better of the teen racer, finishing sixth, but Lindblad relished the battle.
"I know I'm sort of the 'young kid' and I'm the rookie, but when I'm in the car, I'm a fierce competitor," Lindblad said. "I'm going to take every opportunity I get, and I think I showed that today. I have a lot of respect for the senior guys in the sport who have done an amazing job but I am also not going to roll over and give them the place. I am here to fight and when I am in the car, I am a ruthless competitor, I am going to take every inch that I can get."
He also shared the track with a driver who has long inspired him. Lewis Hamilton, making his Ferrari debut in Melbourne, found Lindblad an equally stubborn adversary.
"It was very exciting for me to battle those guys," Lindblad said. "Talking about Lewis, I grew up watching him on the TV — he was one of the big reasons why I fell in love with the sport, so to have a battle with him was really cool. Definitely a few pinch me moments."
Lindblad also had a clean and spirited tussle with Haas driver Ollie Bearman for seventh place later in the race, rounding off a weekend in which he said he had extracted close to the maximum in every session. "I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed this weekend a lot. I think there's a few things from the race today that I could've managed slightly better but in general, it's been really positive. I'm very happy with the weekend. I think I've almost got the maximum out of the car in every session so I'm looking forward to China now."
Lindblad's debut is a milestone not only for himself but for British Asian representation in motorsport. His father, Stefan Lindblad, is Swedish, while his mother, Anita Ahuja, is of Indian heritage. He was raised in a multicultural and multi-faith household, having been baptised in a temple, a gurdwara and a church. He grew up in Virginia Water, on the outskirts of London.
The youngest-ever British F1 driver, Lindblad joined Red Bull's young driver programme in 2021 after taking up karting at the age of five. He became Formula Three's youngest-ever race winner before spending a single season in Formula Two, finishing sixth in the championship, before being promoted to Racing Bulls alongside Lawson.
He received his superlicence as a 17-year-old after Red Bull requested a dispensation from the FIA, which had raised the minimum age to 18 in the wake of Verstappen's own debut as a 16-year-old in 2015.
In an earlier interview with Eastern Eye, Lindblad said, "My dream is to be a Formula One driver. I want to be a Formula One world champion."
(with inputs from Reuters)
