Motorsport: Old-school Kiwi tracks give F1 prospect Arvid Lindblad wings

Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad. Photo / Andy Kruy Creative

Red Bull Racing Junior Academy driver Arvid Lindblad is enjoying competing on some of New Zealand’s old-school racetracks.

The 17-year-old was a late addition to the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship (formerly Toyota Racing Series) after Red Bull Racing adviser Helmut Marko contacted him.

Marko rates the championship and it’s turning out to be a sound testing ground for Red Bull junior drivers, with several travelling to New Zealand for the series over the years.

“It’s a very competitive championship and the tracks are amazing,” Lindblad said. “It’s great preparation for me for the rest of the year, especially on these challenging circuits, and it’s a good way to keep fit and active.

“Marko wants me to have a full licence [he needs more points to get a super licence to potentially race Formula One] before the start of the F1 season. That was a big factor in why we came here.”

The British and Swedish driver is enjoying the racing and his results after two rounds show he has adapted well to Kiwi circuits.

He leads the series after six races at Taupō and Hampton Downs on 164 points from Kiwi Zack Scoular (139), Americans Nikita Johnson (116) and Josh Pierson (115) and Supercars champion Will Brown (109).

Lindblad has not been off the podium, with three wins and three thirds, including in the two reverse-grid races. He’s looking to continue his excellent form in the three races at Manfeild this weekend.

“I’ve really enjoyed the series, it’s fantastic and very well run. The tracks have been great and are very challenging. If you go off, you get punished.

“They’re old-school with very little run-off, which is challenging and helps us improve. The championship is very equal on the tyre and engine side of things, and it’s a shame more guys don’t come out here.

“The cars are a bit different from what I’m used to [F3]. There’s very little aero and you can’t do much to the car anyway. I’ve just adapted to it and cracked on.

“There are some great drivers in the field and Zack [Scoular] has done really well and Will [Brown] the Supercars champion being here is amazing.

“The level has been very high and let’s see how the rest of the championship goes over the next couple of weeks.

“It’s great to see Broc [Feeney] is coming over and it’ll be good to see him again. It’s amazing to have the two guys who finished first and second [in Supercars], as everyone knows the level of racing is so high in that series.”

Lindblad is on the Red Bull Racing fast track to Formula One and his race pedigree has him heading in the right direction. He won several karting series, finished third in the Italian F4 championship, won the Macau F4 race and finished fourth in the FIA Formula 3 championship. He will race the F2 series this year for Campos Racing.

“Having so much seat time before heading back to Europe is definitely a big plus and I’m really happy.

“I’m here for a few reasons and guaranteed track time is a big one. I’m getting a lot of seat time while my competitors back home are sitting around doing nothing.

“I’m looking forward to starting the F2 championship this year. I had a good time in F3 last year and I’m looking forward to experiencing that again and working towards my ultimate goal [Formula One].”