Racing Bulls rookie Lindblad eyes rally career after first WRC taste at Goodwood

Arvid Lindblad has revealed he would like to pursue a rallying career after Formula 1, following his first experience behind the wheel of a World Rally Championship car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 18-year-old Racing Bulls driver swapped his F1 machinery for an M-Sport-Ford Puma Rally1 car to tackle the event’s 1.9-mile forest gravel stage, designed in tribute to the late 1983 world rally champion Hannu Mikkola.

Lindblad first rode as co-driver alongside M-Sport-Ford WRC driver Jon Armstrong before taking the wheel himself. The experience left a clear impression on the British rookie, who admitted the reality of rally driving far exceeds what television coverage conveys.

“It was amazing,” Lindblad said. “We drive pretty quick in Formula 1 and I wouldn’t say I was scared but I was very much outside of my comfort zone and very taken aback. It was just amazing to experience, it is so different to what we are used to.”

Lindblad added that his interest in rallying had been growing even before the Goodwood run. “It is something that I have been learning more about and I have actually become more fond of rally recently, and it is something I would like to potentially pursue one day once I’m done with my current endeavours. After having my first little taste of it now, I have a bit more of an appreciation for what these guys do because the cameras and the onboards don’t really show it. It is so quick and you are so close to the trees.”

Armstrong, competing in his first season in WRC’s top tier, was equally positive about the exchange. “I really enjoyed taking him for the spin and it was nice to see how much he enjoyed the experience from a driving point of view,” the Irishman said. He also praised Lindblad’s performances in F1, noting that rookies face immediate pressure to prove themselves against far more experienced competitors and in machinery of varying competitiveness. “I think he has been doing that,” Armstrong said.

Lindblad made his Formula 1 debut with Racing Bulls earlier this year, while Armstrong is set to return to WRC action at Rally Estonia, the first fast gravel event of the season.