When Arvid Lindblad first experienced a Formula 4 car last year in the Italian F4 Championship, he showed good speed and got used to the machinery he will be dealing with next season. Feeder Series got the chance to talk to the Briton on his aspirations for next year and the difficulties of making the jump to single seaters, as he’s set to compete in his first full season of Italian Formula 4 in 2023.

By Daniele Spadi

Born in 2007, Lindblad had a brilliant karting career, winning the WSK Euro Series in the OK category in 2021 and finishing an impressive third in the FIA European Championship OK, battling all season with drivers like Kimi Antonelli and Rafael Câmara – who will both make their FRECA debuts in 2023.

Turning 15 last August, he got his first taste of single-seater racing in the Italian Formula 4 Championship, racing with Van Amersfoort for the last three rounds of the 2022 season. “All 3 weekends had more than 40 drivers on the grid, making the field very competitive and not making it easy to be able to jump in as a rookie and fight for the front positions,” Lindblad said to Feeder Series. “The races were mainly about learning as much as possible and developing for the coming season. I also developed throughout the races, with many positive lessons learnt. I’m happy with where I’m at for next year.”

I had to learn a lot about the braking: how to optimise it for lap time and how we can use to manipulate the balance of the car

Arvid Lindblad on the difference in approach from karting to single-seaters

It wasn’t easy for Lindblad to switch from karting to a full-fledged Formula 4 car. “The step between karting and single-seaters was quite a noticeable one and took me time to adapt,” he admitted. “The cars and circuits are bigger, which means that everything feels much slower, giving more time to be precise and accurate. I had to learn a lot about the braking: how to optimise it for laptime and also how we can use it to manipulate the balance of the car.”

But the differences between single-seaters and karting are more than just the piece of machinery that the drivers have to race with. “The teams are also much more professional, which I enjoy – including the data being more rigorous, as I can analyse things in more detail than in karting. Racing in cars has been different as well. Not being able to make contact with the other cars as you risk damaging yours, the safety car restarts and the standing starts are all new things for me to adapt to.”

The future

In 2023, Lindblad is set to race in the Italian F4 Championship with Prema. “I’m very excited to be working with Prema and it’s a huge honour to be driving for them next season. They are a phenomenal team with an incredible history, so I know that I will be in great hands,” the 15-year-old said. “I had a couple of test days with them and it went well. I learnt a lot about the way they work – their rigour, effort and attention to the smallest of details.”

The Briton showed good faith in the notoriously competitive Italian outfit. “I know that I will be given a competitive car and be surrounded by people who can help me learn and develop as much as possible.”

Since 2021, Lindblad is also part of the Red Bull Junior Team – a huge feat despite his very young age. “It’s a huge honour. They have a great program bringing many of the current F1 drivers to the top. I‘m very focused on putting a lot of effort in and trying to learn as much as possible from the experienced people around me to help me maximise myself,” Lindblad said on his partnership with the Red Bull academy.

With almost four months until the opening round of the 2023 season, it’s very difficult for Lindblad to set clear goals for the upcoming year – especially as a rookie in a historically competitive, 40-car field like the one in Italian F4. “The goals for next year are to keep it simple and not overcomplicate things too much. I don’t like to think about the outcome or the results and I’m much more focused on my process and development, learning as much as I can and using the team and people around me to help me develop as much as possible.”

Ahead of the season opener in April, Lindblad will likely take part in a couple of pre-season tests through the month of February and March in Italy, as he gets ready for what could be a remarkable rookie season.

Header photo credit: Red Bull Content Pool