Video emerges after Arvid Lindblad suffered incident during test drive | F1 | Sport

Arvid Lindblad suffered a nervy first run in his new Formula 1 car as he spun off track after just a few corners. Unfortunately for the British teenager, he did so right where a fan with a phone camera was watching from outside the confines of the Imola circuit in Italy, where Racing Bulls held a shakedown of their 2026 challenger on Tuesday.

It was the first liveried F1 car to be taken for a spin ahead of the upcoming season, after newcomers Audi and Cadillac had both held track days in Barcelona and Silverstone respectively while using blacked-out paint jobs. It also provided us with the first clear images of a new generation car on track, as photographers were able to grab some high-resolution shots of the Racing Bulls car.

That was despite only a few laps being completed, as teams are restricted to just 15km of running for a shakedown. Still, both Racing Bulls drivers were able to get behind the wheel, with Liam Lawson completing a lap first before Lindblad was given the chance to drive the VCARB03.

However, a cold circuit and damp weather were tricky conditions which appeared to catch out Lindblad as the rookie suffered a spin. Footage posted on social media show the white-and-blue car spinning off the track and into the gravel, though it happened while he was moving at a slow enough speed to ensure that it did not continue into the barriers and cause any significant damage.

Which is good news for Racing Bulls as they had always planned to follow up Tuesday’s shakedown with a filming day on Wednesday at the same circuit. Much more running will be allowed, with teams permitted to complete up to 200 kilometres of mileage on a filming day, which allows them to capture promotional material of their car on track but also, crucially, gather valuable data about their new racing machine.

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That said, the amount they can learn about the cars is still very much limited. For example, race tyres are not allowed to be used, with teams forced to run with specially-made demonstration tyres instead. Those sets are not representative of the Pirelli rubber they will be racing with this season, and so the car will behave differently on track.

While the incident he suffered on Tuesday was certainly not ideal, it will be quickly forgotten by Lindblad who is intent on making a splash in his maiden F1 season. Aged just 18, he has been fast-tracked into the sport by Red Bull who believe he could be the brightest talent to graduate from their academy in many years.

He also looks forward to racing against Lewis Hamilton on track, having idolised his fellow Brit as a child. Lindblad, who is of Swedish and Indian descent, said: “Lewis was a massive part of my early interest in the sport. I felt a great connection towards him because he was the only one of colour.

“It’s a really cool idea in the sense that when I fell in love with the sport, Lewis was doing well, and starting to win his world championships in Mercedes, and now I’m going to be sharing the track with him. It’s super cool. You still want to beat your idols. so I don’t think I’ll race with him any differently. But, for sure, it’s cool to be able to share the track with him.”