Arvid Lindblad has already changed his mind about Liam Lawson before his Racing Bulls debut

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Liam Lawson is in a unique position on the 2026 Formula 1 grid as the only driver with a rookie for a teammate. 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad replaces Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls.

Lindblad may seek advice from Lawson but would be wise to remember that the Kiwi is still relatively new to F1 himself. He has only started 35 races and is preparing for what will be his first full season with Racing Bulls.

It could be argued that Lawson has more to lose from the match-up. If Lindblad loses out, he can put it down to inexperience, and the new Red Bull regime may be more patient with young drivers than Helmut Marko was.

In 2026, Arvid Lindblad will score ??? points…

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But Lawson’s stock will be significantly damaged if he is beaten by a rookie in successive years. In that scenario, there would surely be questions about his future.

Arvid Lindblad is now setting his sights on Liam Lawson in 2026

In an interview last December, Lindblad said it was ‘pointless’ to think about beating Lawson at this stage of his career.

“I don’t really think about my teammate,” he insisted. “That’s the one guy you’re compared against, but I’m in a different position to a lot of the guys who have come through.

“There are so many unknowns next year that it’s pointless me talking about, ‘I want to be better than this guy or that guy.”

But now, in a conversation with The Telegraph, Lindblad has made clear that he wants to beat Lawson this year, even if he acknowledges that it will be difficult.

“Obviously in F1, it’s well known that you’re compared to your team-mate. So of course, I want to beat Liam. But he’s more experienced, he’s got more knowledge.

“So I’m not going to come in saying, ‘I want to do it in this race.’ We’ll see what happens. I’m going to take my time.”

Lawson impressed insiders during his first F1 test in Barcelona and may already be growing in confidence. He has the VCARB03 to himself on day one of testing and will also drive on Thursday afternoon.

What is Liam Lawson’s overall record against his F1 teammates?

Lawson was outqualified 10-1 by Yuki Tsunoda during their two spells as teammates, but he did edge their race-day battle 6-5.

Hadjar was a comfortable winner in both departments – 16-6 on a Saturday and 11-6 in the races that both drivers finished.

That means that, overall, Lawson trails his teammates 26-7 in qualifying and 16-12 in the races.

Racing Bulls want Lawson to cut out his inconsistency and make himself undroppable this year. They feel there are too many ‘inexplicable’ results, and clearly, one-lap pace is the main area of concern.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso has implicitly warned Lindblad by suggesting the 2026 F1 cars could be tricky for a rookie. The drivers will expend much more mental energy on managing their battery this year.