Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad delivered a solid points-scoring finish at the 2026 F1 Italian GP in Monza, crossing the line in eighth place. Facing strong competition and an energy-starved circuit, Lindblad spoke in the print media pen after the race.
Securing maximum points in a tight Constructors’ battle
Reflecting on the championship battle between the Racing Bulls and Alpine, Lindblad acknowledged that his eighth place represented the maximum possible result for the team this weekend.
He explained that Alpine held the upper hand throughout the weekend, noting their great straight-line speed at the 2026 F1 Italian GP. Pierre Gasly started on pole, with Franco Colapinto in 8th to back it up.
With the Alpine drivers securing good points, they made progress in the Constructors’ Championship standings. Nonetheless, the big mistake by Colapinto at Lesmo 1 allowed the Racing Bulls rookie to finish ahead.
The Racing Bulls hold fifth in the Championship with 75 points, while Alpine sits close behind with 62 points.
Lindblad acknowledged that Monza’s unique circuit favored Alpine, but he expressed full confidence in the team’s package for the upcoming races. Madrid should suit the VCARB 03.
“Yes, I think it’s good. In the end, it was the maximum that was possible today, so we should be happy. In the end, Alpine have had the upper hand this week.
“They’ve been way faster than us on the straights and we know this is a very unique circuit, so I think to limit the damage here was good and we’re very confident that we know the package we have in the upcoming rounds, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Lindblad on the opening laps of the 2026 F1 Italian GP
Describing the intense opening laps that led to a red flag, Lindblad dismissed the idea that the racing was overly risky, calling it fun instead.
He argued that F1 often features too much single-file racing compared to categories like F2 or F3, where wheel-to-wheel battles happen constantly. He believed the fierce scrapping was good for the sport and showed what drivers come to do.
However, he expressed frustration over how the race unfolded after the restart. Once drivers put on hard tyres and drove to the finish line, he felt the action dried up. Lindblad admitted he was sad to see the red flag because he spent the remainder of the race driving around in clean air, comfortably behind Gasly but well ahead of Colapinto and Tsunoda.
“No, it was fun. I wouldn’t say it that way. I would say, you know, F1’s a bit…it’s not got enough racing and it’s a bit too single-file. If you watch an F2 or an F3 race, that’s what it’s like the whole time and I think it was good for the sport to show that.
“I’m not sure it was the right way that we should be showing overtaking and passing in the sport, but you know, it was cool to have a bit of a scrap, have a bit of a dogfight going on, because that’s what we were here for. I enjoyed it, and I was honestly a bit sad when the red flag came out, because we all just put on the hard and went to the end, and there wasn’t really much of a race anymore. It was pretty boring for me, I was 10 seconds in front, 10 seconds behind, and just cruising around.”
Managing tyres and evaluating engine performance
Addressing the challenge of keeping the hard tyres alive for fifty laps in hot conditions, Lindblad explained that the team adopted a very reserved position. For the first forty laps, engineers continuously instructed him to manage his pace to get to the end easily. He clarified that, with only ten laps remaining, he eventually got the urge to push harder.
Lindblad noted that high degradation and tyre wear remained unknowns heading into the 2026 F1 Italian GP. While the team expected one-stop strategies at many races before, after previously having to shift to two-stoppers, the hard tyre proved sturdy and caused no issues in the end.
“It was alright, I mean honestly I think we were very reserved in our approach for the whole honestly first 40 laps, I was just told, manage, manage, manage, and at the point I was like, come on, there’s only 10 laps to go, let’s get on with it. So honestly I think the hard tyre was pretty good, I think it was a bit of an unknown, we didn’t know how the wear would be in these hot conditions, it’s been a bit weird this year. There’s been many times it was expected a one-stop, and then it turned into a hard two, so I think the team were more on the reserved side there, but honestly in the end it turned out to be no issue at all.”
Finally, when discussing the competitive order, he observed that Alpine and other Mercedes-powered teams hold a clear advantage in straight-line speed due to engine performance at unique power tracks like the energy-starved circuit in Monza. Six of the top 9 finishers had their engine.
Nonetheless, he believes the upgrade the Enstone-based team brought to Zandvoort has moved them back into the game with Audi and Racing Bulls at other venues where downforce is very important.
“No, I would say that they’ve bridged the gap, and I would say that it’s the three of us now, but the reality is that this is a very unique circuit, it’s all about the donkey in the back, unfortunately. Audi weren’t competitive this week because their engine isn’t very strong. And Alpine, maybe they have a very low drag car, or the Merc engine is just a bit special, all the top is basically Mercs.”
