Confident Lindblad gives positive reaction to first three rounds of F1 career

Most recently, the Racing Bulls rookie finished 14th in Japan. He was running inside the points in 10th place before he pitted on lap 18, and hoped to progress from there. However, the safety car was deployed for Ollie Bearman’s huge accident, allowing other drivers to leapfrog him.

Despite this disappointment, Lindblad was positive about his performances in the first three races of his F1 career when speaking to the media post-race in Japan. His only points-score so far came on debut with eighth in Australia.

He said: “It’s been a big confidence boost for me, these first couple of races – I’ve shown that I have the talent, I’ve shown that I’m fast in what I can do.

"I’m confident, but I know there’s a lot to work on, so I’m going to work hard over the break to be in a better position for Miami."

Lindblad’s record of only one points score belies an impressive start to 2026. In Japan, he even knocked Red Bull stablemate and four-time world champion Max Verstappen out of qualifying to move into Q3. His target for Miami will now be to add to that tally and close the current six-point gap to Liam Lawson in the drivers' standings.