Arvid Lindblad revealed he was “a little bit sad” with qualifying ninth for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, but praised his Racing Bulls team for doing a “phenomenal job” with its latest upgrades suite.
The 18-year-old impressed once again, tackling the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve – a circuit on which he hasn’t previously raced – with gusto and bravery.
An eighth-place finish in the Sprint on Hard tyres – the only driver on that compound – was impressive already, but followed it up by making it into Q3, with teammate Liam Lawson failing to do so.
Lindblad was both sides of a four-tenths deficit in the top 10 shootout, ahead of Franco Colapinto and behind Charles Leclerc by approximately the same margin.
“I was told before the weekend this could arguably be one of the hardest races so far this year because it is a very challenging track, and it is [also] a Sprint weekend,” the British rookie told media, including Motorsport Week, after qualifying.
“But the team have done a really good job to give me a car that I’ve been comfortable in.
“I think I’ve done a good job, getting up to speed and figuring things out, always chipping away. So, yeah, I’m happy with how the weekend has gone so far.
“Part of me was a little bit disappointed, [because] I was hearing sort of P5, P6, P7 during Q1 and Q2, so to end up P9 was a little bit sad.
“But at the same time, I think it was inevitable when the top teams figured everything out, so I think it was the best that was possible – best of the rest. Looking forward to tomorrow now.”
Arvid Lindblad praises VCARB for ‘feeling comfortable’ in F1 Canadian GP
Lindblad and the Faenza-based squad did not enjoy the most fruitful of weekends last time out in Miami, and arrived in Montreal boasting a new upgrades package for the VCARB 03.
And was credited by Lindblad for helping him secure the impressive results and comparative sadness in what was a “bounce back” showing for the Red Bull sister team.
“A solid step. I was quite surprised to be honest,” he confessed. “We had an upgrade for Miami, and it wasn’t as good as we hoped.
“In the end, we were out in Q1, [and] we weren’t that competitive, and I was slightly more on the pessimistic side coming into this weekend.
“But full credit to the team, they’ve done a phenomenal job. From the first lap in FP1, I felt really comfortable, and we’ve been fast.
“Every lap that I’ve done this weekend has been quick, so the team have done a phenomenal job to bounce back from Miami.”
Lindblad will be looking to be back on the points trail again, in what might be a significant psychological advantage on his more experienced teammate Lawson.
READ MORE – F1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
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