(Motorsport-Total.com) – There have been few Formula 1 rookies in recent years who have left such a strong impression on their debut in the premier class: Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad finished eighth at the Australian Grand Prix, securing four World Championship points in his very first appearance.
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A result that is also causing noticeable excitement internally. “To be honest, I’m so happy for Arvid,” says CEO Peter Bayer in an interview with Autosport, a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com in the Motorsport Network. “He came with a lot of praise from Helmut.”
“And Helmut kept saying: This boy is on the level of Isack Hadjar. And he absolutely delivered. The engineers love him. He is very focused. He works hard. He sits down and learns the whole engine topic, the switches, the modes.”
That was “very impressive,” praises the Austrian, who also points out that Lindblad is only 18 years old. “I can’t even remember what it was like when I was 18,” says the 55-year-old with a smile.
Racing Bulls finds “up to two seconds” in the race
However, it won’t be easy for Lindblad going forward, as the battle in the midfield is likely to increase in intensity in the coming races. One concern at Racing Bulls has dissipated, though: the new power unit from Red Bull Powertrains and Ford made a solid debut.
Formula 1 events before Arvid Lindblad was born
“Together [with Red Bull] we managed to get at least three cars to the finish,” Bayer recalls, referring to Hadjar’s retirement. “And it’s complex. Honestly, if you listen to the conversations between race engineers, power unit people, and management, an incredible amount is happening at the same time.”
“I don’t want to go into too much detail, but during the race we just found out that we can gain up to two seconds if Arvid changes the way he uses, deploys, and calls up the different modes,” reveals the Racing Bulls CEO. “Nobody knew that before.”
So the new power unit definitely still has potential. “Bill Ford was also here and wanted to be informed about everything that was happening,” says Bayer. “I think that’s exactly what makes it unique. It’s a family business with incredible motorsport DNA.”
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Lawson “simply had no power” at the start
The only small disappointment was Liam Lawson’s failed start, which almost ended in a serious accident. “It’s a shame for Liam. We don’t know exactly what the problem was yet – just no power,” explains the Racing Bulls CEO.
“To be honest, I’m glad nothing happened there, because start accidents are probably the situations we fear the most,” the Austrian recalls, also with an eye on the discussions that were already held before the weekend in Australia.
But even regardless of the safety aspect, the botched start cost Lawson valuable positions. In the end, he finished no higher than 13th at the Australian Grand Prix. “We have to look at that, but overall it was a very positive weekend.”
Bayer admits: “We have to get used to it first”
Meanwhile, Bayer is still holding back on a final judgment on the new regulations. “It’s still early, but I’ve received a few messages from fans saying, ‘Wow, what a spectacle.’ Especially some of the opening laps and the mid-race phase – the duels, the overtaking maneuvers.”
“There were a few moments where I thought, ‘Oh my god, he’s slowing down.’ But in fact, that wasn’t the case at all, so I guess we just have to get used to it first,” the Austrian admits. Regardless, the race in Australia was “a great show.”
“I think after two or three races we will all sit down together. However, I am convinced that this concept is a vision for the sport. Now it’s an engineering challenge again. And I’m sure we will master it.”
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