In the latest part of an exclusive interview with Motorsport Week, Formula 1 rookie Arvid Lindblad reveals the influence that mentor Oliver Rowland has had on his meteoric career rise.
The 18-year-old is just a matter of weeks away from his F1 debut, and is due to become the fourth-youngest rookie of all-time, in the second Racing Bulls seat alongside Liam Lawson.
Lindblad spent just one season in both Formula 3 and Formula 2 before being handed the chance to take the spot at the Faenza-based squad, vacated by Isack Hadjar, who moves to Red Bull
The British-Swede holds the notable honour of being the final driver enlisted by Helmut Marko to be promoted from the Red Bull junior ranks to F1.
And speaking exclusively to Motorsport Week during pre-season testing in Bahrain, Lindblad was asked which people he credits for helping him get to the position he is in now.
“I mean, for starters, the Red Bull programme in itself has been a massive part of why I’m here today and I’m extremely grateful to them,” he said.
“I was signed when I was 13 by Helmut and, yeah, it’s played a massive role in my career. I was signed in sort of the middle of my karting journey, so I did a bit of karting and all of the single-seater ladder with Red Bull.
“And they really taught me a lot. It’s a big part, thanks to Helmut and Rocky [Guillaume Rocquellin, former Red Bull engineer and Marko’s replacement] especially, that I was able to make the steps that I did. And then also, obviously Helmut as well, for having this opportunity now.
“I’d say the only other person that I would, sort of, has played a massive role in helping is Oliver Rowland. I’ve known him since I was seven and it’s a big part, both thanks to him and Red Bull, that I’m here today.”
The various areas in which Lindblad’s rise to F1 has been aided by Formula E champion
Rowland is perhaps the biggest influence on Lindblad. The reigning Formula E World Champion spotted Lindblad as a talent as a child, and has been by his side ever since.
The Yorkshireman has been a nurturing figure both on and off the track, and after being spotted in Rowland’s Nissan garage at the recent Jeddah E-Prix, and spending time with his daughter Harper in the paddock, Lindblad looks like a firm fixture in the Rowland family, something he confirms.
“Ollie’s helped me develop as a person and as a driver. I mean, I’ve known him since I was seven, and he’s helped massively for me to be where I am today,” he revealed.
“I mean, we started a karting team together. I’ve been in contact with him basically every time I was on the track. And then in F3 and F2, he was coming to a lot of the races.
“It’s hard for me to describe our relationship in anything other than family.
“I mean, for sure he helps me on the driving side, but it’s about everything as well. It’s more of a mental role as well, from everything in his experience, sometimes on a mental side or an approach point of view.
“So, yeah, I’m extremely grateful to him and I’m really thankful that he’s also been wanting to help me.
“I mean, there’s been a lot that I’ve learned from him, but it’s also really nice that we’ve got along well and he’s taken the time out of his busy schedule. I mean, he’s competing in Formula E, he’s the current World Champion, and he’s coming to a lot of the events to help me out. So, I’m very grateful to him for that.
“And I think we have a really good relationship and maybe there’s even a few things recently that he’s even learned from me!”
When Rowland enjoyed a meteoric return to FE in Season 10, after a mid-season exit the season before put his career into question, he revealed that he had sought the help of a sport’s psychologist to regain a tough mentality, and with the World Championship now to his name, it clearly worked wonders.
Asked if that influence has trickled down, Lindblad explains that his advice extends to out of the car, as well as in it.
“I mean, he hasn’t acted as a psychologist because obviously that’s not his area of expertise,” he said. “More what I meant is on the race weekend with an approach, just anything from his experience. Approach to marketing, media, to the race weekend, in certain situations, how to deal with it mentally.
“In the end, there’s a lot of things that we have to do now as Formula 1 drivers that I’m learning about. There’s a lot of time and stuff that is taken out from, there’s a lot of time that’s spent on things that aren’t just driving and it was a lot of those kind of things of how to manage all that he’s helped out a lot with.
“Even on the psychologist stuff, I mean, it’s things that we’ve done together.”
Despite Rowland currently being well-placed to defend is FE title, there is no doubt he will be watching Lindblad closely when he rocks up in Melbourne next month.
READ MORE – Interview: How Arvid Lindblad ignored ‘ifs and buts’ to secure F1 seat
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