Arvid Lindblad scored points on his Formula 1 debut at Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, finishing eighth for Racing Bulls and declaring he was “here to fight” after battling four-time world champion Max Verstappen at Albert Park.
The 18-year-old, Britain’s youngest ever F1 driver, started ninth on the grid ahead of team-mate Liam Lawson who finished 13th. in a race won by George Russell of Mercedes. It was the debut that announced Lindblad as a serious presence in the sport.
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“I’m speechless to be honest, it was a pretty crazy race,” Lindblad told Sky Sports. “The points at the weekend were not as expected. I was hoping after yesterday, but I’m extremely happy. I’m extremely grateful to everyone on the team for giving me the package to fight.”
Lindblad hardly put a foot wrong all weekend and briefly moved up to third in the opening lap, a moment that raised eyebrows in the paddock and brought fans to their feet. “To say points on debut doesn’t really sum up the race. A big P3 at one point in the first lap was a lot more than I expected,” he said. “I think I kind of showed people what I’m doing here.
The highlight of his debut came during a lap-to-lap battle with Verstappen, who started from 20th place after crashing in qualifying. The Red Bull driver eventually worked his way up to sixth, but Lindblad forced him to gain every position and refused to back down despite the gap in experience between the two drivers.
“I have a lot of respect for the older guys in the sport who have done an amazing job, but I’m also not going to roll over and give them a seat,” Lindblad said. “I’m here to fight and when I’m in the car I’m a ruthless competitor. I’ll take every inch I can get.”
His performance drew inevitable comparisons with Kimi Antonelli’s debut at the same circuit last year, when the Italian finished fourth for Mercedes and became the youngest F1 debutant to score points. Antonelli did little better on Sunday, finishing second to Russell as Mercedes dominated the season opener from start to finish.
Lindblad is the only debutant on the F1 grid this seasonn, and the pressure that comes with that label showed no signs of weighing him down in Melbourne. Based on his display at Albert Park, he looks more than ready for the battles that lie ahead.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
March 8, 2026 1:59 PM IST
