"A maximised session": Lindblad after career-best qualifying in Spa

Lindblad added another milestone to his name with his career-best qualifying | Credit: Formula One

Arriving in Spa this weekend, there can be no doubt that 2026's only rookie would have been feeling the pressure however Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad rose to the occasion and achieved his career-best qualifying position ahead of the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix. Being promoted to seventh after the application of Lando Norris' 10-place grid penalty, Lindblad will start on the fourth row of the grid.

For his first weekend in Spa as a Formula One driver, the British driver was quick to state that for himself and his team, it's been a "really good weekend so far". As the only driver in the Racing Bulls pair to utilise the upgrades, on the account that he was the faster car in Silverstone, Lindblad has certainly demonstrated the potential in the VCARB 03. For the team's "best qualifying so far this year" on his side of the garage, there can be no doubt that these upgrades are a step in the right direction.

Over the course of the season, Racing Bulls have been noted for slowly building up their performance over the course of the weekend and the Belgian weekend has been no exception to this. Despite the slow start, Lindblad was convinced that it was a "maximised session". In the end, Lindblad noted that the team "chip[ed] away well" at the performance of those ahead and that "we were fast" compared to Alpine, the team's closest rivals.

Looking ahead to Sunday's Grand Prix and the opportunity to convert his starting position into points, Lindblad was clear that for himself and the team it would all be about "focusing on the basics" to get ahead of the drivers around him. With only a single point standing between Racing Bulls and Alpine in the Constructors' Standings, and both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto starting outside the top 10, a decent result for the rookie driver would have major consquences to the team's overall standings.