Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad experienced a challenging weekend at the 2026 F1 Miami GP due to losing valuable track time after a technical issue forced him to sit out Saturday’s Sprint race.
Making his debut at the Miami International Autodrome, Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad sure was keen to gather as much on-track experience as he could before Sunday’s F1 Miami GP.
However, the 18-year-old’s weekend wasn’t off to the best start. Lindblad experienced issues in the first and only practice session, prompting the team to make changes to the car ahead of Sprint qualifying, where he qualified a decent P16.
Unfortunately, Lindblad was forced to sit out the Miami GP Sprint Race due to a technical issue. Luckily, the issue was resolved, and he was able to participate in Qualifying for the 2026 F1 Miami GP, finishing the session in P17.
Difficult first stint for Linblad at the 2026 F1 Miami GP
Starting the race from P16 after Isack Hadjar’s disqualification, Lindblad struggled, particularly in the opening stint on the medium compound tire, he said in the print media pen after the 2026 F1 Miami GP.
Sunday’s struggles didn’t come as a surprise for the Racing Bull driver, who had anticipated a difficult time due to missing out on Saturday’s Sprint race.
“We knew going into it wasn’t going to be easy just because being down on mileage from missing the Sprint. But to be honest, the first stint wasn’t great. I struggled quite a lot on the medium. It just wasn’t very easy.”
Improvement on the hard tire
On lap 30 of the F1 Miami GP, Lindblad mounted the hard compound tyre, which he said “felt a lot better” and made the car “nicer to drive.”
Finishing the race in P14, the 18-year-old says he will analyse his, as well as Racing Bulls’, performance to find ways to improve, hoping for a better result in the upcoming Canadian GP.
“As soon as we put on the hards, to be honest, I felt a lot better. It was a lot nicer to drive.
“I think generally the pace was quite a chunk better. I just need to look into understanding what I could have done better, what things we could have done better as a team. In the end, I think there’s still a lot to learn on my side.
“Obviously, it’s another weekend where I’ve missed an important mileage, which is a bit of a shame. But it is what it is, so we can do better and look towards Canada.”
More time on track could have improved performance
Asked whether more mileage could have helped his performance at the 2026 F1 Miami GP, Lindblad explained that he experienced a steep learning curve during the opening laps of the race. This enforced the young Racing Bulls drivers’ belief that having more track time could have “made a big difference.”
“In the first 20 laps, I learned a massive amount. So, even just if you say I started the race from lap 20 today, it would have made a big difference. It is what it is.
“In the end, we’re all trying our best. Hopefully, it won’t happen again in Canada.”
