In an exclusive interview with Motorsport Week, Formula 1 rookie Arvid Lindblad has revealed how preparations for the new season will have differed from those of the past.
The 18-year-old is readying himself for his F1 debut, having been signed by Racing Bulls to take the place of Isack Hadjar, who was shuffled up to the full Red Bull team for 2026.
2025 saw Lindblad move up to Formula 2, and immediately impressed, taking an early win in Jeddah, and scoring a further victories in Barcelona and Abu Dhabi.
Before securing sixth in the championship, Lindblad also completed three FP1 sessions for Red Bull at Silverstone, Mexico and Abu Dhabi.
With these three experiences, plus private tests and show runs, Lindblad is aware of what it takes to prepare for jumping into a car of a previous iteration.
So with his debut season coinciding with the new technical regulations reset for the sport, Lindblad was able to explain that, despite his rookie status, how readying himself for 2026 is already difference.
“It’s hard to say,” he told Motorsport Week in an exclusive interview, when asked if preparations would have been different if the previous regulations still applied.
“I mean, yeah, things have been different because, I mean, the cars are so new now, the engines are so different that there’s probably more sim work that’s been done because we’re all, as a unit – me and the team – we’re trying to understand the package, the regulations, everything more.
“So, probably there’s more effort, more time that’s been spent on that.”
Arvid Lindblad explains reduction in neck training for F1 drivers in 2026
Lindblad further detailed how the new cars have made changes to other areas of preparation, such as the often-rigorous training of a driver’s neck.
“I think the cars are a little bit slower in the high speeds, maybe a little bit less neck training, but still from F2, it’s still quite a lot more,” he said.
“But I don’t know. I mean, on a preparation point of view, I mean, it’s hard to really answer because, again, it’s not really something I think about because what I would have prepared for last year’s car is kind of irrelevant to me.
“All I think about is how can I prepare in the best way for this season, which, like I said, it includes a lot of sim work and a lot of just being switched on to try to understand it because it is very different.”
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