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Lindblad continues to win in New Zealand and takes big steps to F1
- Estéban den Toom
On Saturday in New Zealand, Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad was already fastest in the first race of the weekend in the Formula Regional Oceania championship. This weekend, the class races at Hampton Downs, the northernmost circuit on the calendar. Lindblad also performed well during the second and third races of the weekend.
A total of three races are run during a Formula Regional Oceania weekend: one on the Saturday and two on the Sunday. During the second race of the weekend, Lindblad could not get past New Zealander Sebastian Manson and Nikita Johnson, finishing P3, in the reversed grid race. The Briton, on the other hand, drove the fastest lap and set the pace in race number three.
A nice hat-trick for the Red Bull junior indeed. He took pole position, set the fastest lap of the race, and took victory as well in the final race of the weekend at Hampton Downs, taking a big step towards what seems to be his upcoming Formula 1 debut, which requires a super licence. If Lindblad manages to win the New Zealand based championship he will then be able to make the leap to F1 come 2026.
Chasing F1 licence
Indeed, the number one in the championship gets 18 points. The number two has to make do with 14 points, and the number three can add 12 points in the hunt for the super licence. After six of the 15 races (i.e. two out of five weekends), Lindblad leads over Zack Scoular by 25 seconds, managing to win a total of three out of 6 races. Next weekend, Formula Regional Oceania will race again as the drivers travel to Manfeild, where they will race at the Chris Amon Circuit.
This article was written with the collaboration of Norberto Mujica.
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