Arvid Lindblad laments lost mileage hampering F1 progress

Arvid Lindblad has been left questioning his luck after technical problems have severely limited running during his rookie Formula 1 campaign.

Lindblad has lost significant quantities of track time in China, Japan and Miami, all through technical problems with his Racing Bulls car.

While the Briton earned plaudits for an eighth-place finish on his debut in Australia, he has been unable to add to this early points haul, and has finished behind team-mate Liam Lawson on both occasions that the pair have since reached the chequered flag.

Speaking in Miami after missing a Sprint race for the second time this season, Lindblad said of his weekend: “We knew going into it, it wasn’t going to be easy, just from being down on mileage from missing the Sprint.

“But to be honest, the first stint wasn’t great. I struggled quite a lot on the mediums and it just wasn’t very easy. As soon as we put on the hard, I felt a lot better, and it was a lot nicer to drive. I think generally, the pace was quite a chunk better.

“We just need to look in and understand what I could have done better, what things we could have done a bit better as a team.

“In the end, there’s still a lot to learn on my side. Obviously, it’s another weekend where I’ve missed important mileage, which is a bit of a shame, but it is what it is.”

While rival drivers had the experience of long runs in a race situation, Lindblad was playing catch-up in the grand prix. Had he had this time again, the 18-year-old knows what he would have done differently.

“In the first 20 laps, I learnt a massive amount,” he said.

“Even if you say I started the race from lap 20 today, it would have made a big difference. It is what it is in the end. We’re all trying our best, and it hopefully won’t happen again in Canada.”

He added: “I don’t really see it as frustrating. Me moaning about it isn’t gong to make a difference. It is what it is. It’s a challenge, but I enjoy the challenge.

“I’ve enjoyed a lot the first couple of races, and I’m enjoying driving the car at the moment.”