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Arvid Lindblad reflected on his relationship with Helmut Marko and, how the former Red Bull advisor congratulated him after his sensational F1 debut.
Lindblad had an excellent debut in Formula 1, securing a P8 finish and becoming one of only two drivers from both Red Bull teams to secure points.
It was a great way to kick off his career, as Lindblad outperformed Liam Lawson, his Racing Bulls teammate who has a year’s worth of experience over the young drivers.
Where will Arvid Lindblad rank among Formula 1’s recent rookies?
Someone who was instrumental to his emergence as an F1 driver was Helmut Marko. In fact, Marko had more confidence in Lindblad than other Red Bull drivers as far back as last year.
But how did the former Red Bull consultant respond after seeing Arvid Lindblad thrive in his debut race at the Australian Grand Prix?
READ MORE: Red Bull will love what Arvid Lindblad said was ‘most surprising’ about racing Max Verstappen
Helmut Marko told Arvid Lindblad everyone at Red Bull was now a fan
During an appearance on F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, Arvid Lindblad spoke about his relationship with Helmut Marko and how he keeps in touch with him after the latter’s exit from Formula 1.
He noted that Marko reached out to him after the Australian Grand Prix, and told him that everyone at Red Bull had become a fan after his P8 finish.
“Yeah, we stay in touch. We called after Australia. And he’s still following along. He’s trying to stay more in the shadows and a bit more away from it, but he still knows everything that’s happening.
“I’m sure that he’ll be at a race this year. I’m sad that he’s no longer in the paddock because we did get along really well.
“But I think the way I try to look at it, I think it’s really impressive that someone of his age was going to 24 races a year, showing his passion, dedication, love for the sport at his age…
“He was like, ‘Arvid, everyone in Red Bull is now a Lindblad fan.’ Those were his words. That was pretty cool.”
READ MORE: Guenther Steiner tells Arvid Lindblad why he isn’t the future of Red Bull in Formula 1 yet
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Arvid Lindblad explains how his relationship with Helmut Marko was different from ‘difficult’ stories he heard
Speaking earlier in the podcast, Lindblad reflected on his relationship with Marko and how he helped him throughout his career.
“I always had a close relationship with Helmut, and that gave me maybe a bit more of a buffer when things were a bit more difficult in F2… He can be (harsh), and there are a lot of stories about Helmut. But my relationship with Helmut was very special…. Our relationship was very good.
“We were very honest with one another, we said things how it was, and that helped us to learn and improve. There was never any rubbish. It was always very honest, and it was a lot thanks to his guidance and expertise… that I was able to come through the ranks so quickly to be able to be here today…
“Like I said with Helmut, we always got along very well. We said things how it was. And he helped me to learn, and there are a lot of stories about him being difficult, not the easiest to work with. But for me, he was always amazing, and he’s (owed) a big thanks as to why I’m here today.
“He always had my back, and he always believed in me. Even when things were going difficult last year, he was the one who believed in me the most and helped for me to have this opportunity this year. So I’ll always be grateful to him for that.”
Marko’s last major contribution to Red Bull may have been the introduction of Lindblad to Formula 1. And if he lives up to the potential he’s shown, it could be his greatest move yet.
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