Lindblad planning to ‘send it’ at Monza as he has nothing to lose in title showdown

Arvid Lindblad is feeling good ahead of the season finale at Monza, where the PREMA Racing rookie insists all the pressure will be on his title rivals.

The British driver is fourth in the Standings on 113 points, trailing Championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli by 16. He acknowledges that it will be a challenging task to overhaul that deficit, but he is prepared for the fight.

“I’m going to Monza 16 points back, so I am not a main contender for the Championship but I am definitely still in the fight,” said Lindblad. “I think everyone knows with the way Monza is, the style of races there, anything can happen. The races are normally pretty crazy and a lot of mess and carnage that can go for or against you.

Showtime in Singapore: Piotr Wisnicki’s dream race weekend

“I think if I have a good quali and do some good stuff, there is definitely an opportunity to capitalise and close the gap, but I am really excited going into the finale. It's been an incredible rookie season so far, definitely better than I could have imagined.

“If you would have told me that I would be in the Championship fight going to Monza then I would have been absolutely delighted. I’m going into this weekend really happy and proud of the job I have done this year, but really wanting to try and finish the season on a high.”

Lindblad continued to reflect on his season, coming in as a 16-year-old and even with his inexperience, he says he never saw 2024 as a “learning year”.

He did however make it a point to learn from his two experienced teammates Dino Beganovic and Gabriele Minì. By doing this, while also focusing on the basics and small details, he feels he has improved every time he has stepped in the car from the Jerez test onwards.

“I think the year is going really well, it's definitely gone better than I could've hoped for,” said Lindblad. “I wasn't naive going into this Championship, it's a big step up from F4 and I only had one year of F4 experience under my belt, so I knew it was going to be difficult.

READ MORE: Mansell aiming to end 2024 with no regrets ahead of Monza title decider

“I think from the beginning we approached it with the right mentality of trying to learn all the time, developing each weekend, and trying to keep improving. I think we can see that for me it's been a bit of a constant progression throughout the whole year.

“We talk about Bahrain but even from Jerez, the first post-season test, it felt like every time I have got in the car I have made a bit of a step forward. I feel like I am improving also on the stuff behind the scenes that aren't as obvious like tyre management.

“It was also pretty obvious in the first few weekends that we were at the bottom end of the top 12 and that is why I was competitive in Sprints, but the Features weren't there. Then I slowly made a bit of a step in Imola, I qualified P4, then again in Monaco, then in Barcelona and Spielberg.

“So, I'm really happy, really comfortable with the environment I am in right now, with the team, with my engineer, with my trainer, with Red Bull and everyone that is supporting me.”

One of the weekends that showed Lindblad’s progression was Silverstone where he won both the Sprint and Feature Race. Looking back the PREMA driver called the result “magical”.

“I knew at the time that it was pretty insane,” he said. “It was pretty cool and I think just the whole context of everything, it couldn't have been more magical you could say.

“After Qualifying, I knew the Sprint Race win was on, I was going to start on the front row so it was possible. So, to do both, to do it at home in the fashion in which we did it was incredible. At the time I knew it was awesome, but it hit even harder the next weekend when I was back at home, with my family reflecting on it.”

Pushing to the limit in Lusail: Alex Dunne’s dream race weekend

But he was quick to point out that in motorsport you can go from “hero to zero”. In the two rounds that followed in Budapest and Spa, he did not score a point.

“The last two rounds have been a challenge,” he acknowledged. “No points in the last two whereas we had been super consistent up till that point. I think in Formula 3, with the way the Championship is, it's really difficult to be super consistent every weekend across a whole year.

“There are very few guys who have been able to do that, to nail it every weekend, every quali and we have seen that so far this year. I think all the contenders in the Championship have had a weekend where they have been out of the top 12 in quali. So, it's not easy.

“Budapest was challenging. Some of it is on me, some of it is situational but there were a lot of things that didn't go our way. Spa was just a mistake from myself in Quali. I was quite disappointed because I thought I did a good lap.

“We struggled a bit for pace as a team in quali, I was the fastest in my team, and then I went and put one wide by a couple of centimetres and got the lap deleted, so it was for sure a shame but those are the rules. It was my mistake, and I take it on the chin.”

His preparations for Monza have already started as he spent part of last week in the Red Bull simulator. Tyre management is a key point for Lindblad but even with that, he still plans to go flat out, given that he believes there is no pressure on him.

Goethe: Championship hopes slim but aiming to end improved 2024 on a high in Monza

“I am definitely going to Monza with a nothing to lose mentality,” he added. “I just turned 17, I am a rookie in my second year and the people I am racing against are 19 or 20 in their fourth or fifth year, so the pressure is on them to perform.

“They are all in their second year of F3, they need to have a good result whereas for me I have already proved a lot about what I can do so far this year, and it's going to try and reinforce that at Monza, just send it and have some fun.

“There is really no pressure on my shoulders, and just trying to have a good weekend and do the best I can, but I can definitely take more risks than the ones around me.”