F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad suffers crash during Suzuka tyre test
Arvid Lindblad crashed in wet conditions during a Pirelli F1 tyre test at Suzuka.
Formula 1 newcomer Arvid Lindblad went off in wet conditions during a Pirelli tyre test at Suzuka on Wednesday.
The Racing Bulls rookie was taking part in the two-day test for F1’s tyre manufacturer when he hit standing water and aquaplaned off the track at the second Degner.
Photographs captured from Suzuka showed Lindblad walking away from his stricken Racing Bulls, which was missing its front wing.
Exact details of the accident are unknown, but based on the images, it appears to have only been a minor crash, with Lindblad unharmed.
Lindblad has since been able to return to the track to continue the final afternoon of the test.
Red Bull and Racing Bulls are both taking part, which is taking place after last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Isack Hadjar has been driving the RB22, while Lindblad and Liam Lawson have taken turns behind the wheel for Racing Bulls.
Max Verstappen, who sensationally claimed he could quit F1 at the end of the season, has not stayed out in Japan for the test and instead flew straight home.
Lindblad could only finish 14th during last Sunday’s race at Suzuka after losing out due to the timing of the safety car.
It was nevertheless another impressive showing from the 18-year-old Briton, who reached Q3 despite having never driven the circuit before and missing out on running in second practice because of a technical issue.
"I think I was running P8 after a lap or two and then I think there were a few things I could have managed better on the energy side and the battery side with Max [Verstappen] and Esteban [Ocon] on that first stint," he said.
"So I lost those two place and then I was settling in to a nice rhythm before the stop, did the stop which was a bit slow, so I lost a place to Isack [Hadjar] and then the Safety Car came out and I lost another three or four [places].
"It's a bit of a shame but I think regardless, there's still a lot to learn, still a lot for me to improve on so I'm going to focus on that.”
Lindblad sits 11th in the drivers’ world championship, having scored four points across the opening three rounds of his first F1 season.
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