Lindblad hopeful of a double podium after qualifying fifth in Jeddah

Arvid Lindblad was pleased to be competitive in Friday evening’s Jeddah Qualifying session even if the Campos Racing driver is a little disappointed not to have ended up higher than P5.

The 17-year-old had not qualified in the top 10 so far this season but made a fine start to the pole position shootout by topping the timesheets after the first push laps.

However, as he was about to complete his first lap on his second set of Supersoft tyres, the Red Flags were waved after Van Amersfoort Racing’s John Bennett crashed into the barrier at Turn 17.

QUALIFYING: Crawford outduels Martins to take pole in Jeddah

This meant that with just over five minutes remaining, Lindblad and most of the grid had time for just one push lap. The Briton ended up fifth, and while he was happy with the result, he felt the stoppage affected his ability to fully extract the maximum from his final attempt.

“It was fun,” said Lindblad on the 30-minute outing. “I didn’t really have too many expectations, we had quite a free FP which was good. But I knew the track step was going to be big for Quali, with the Supersofts, so I knew I could push a lot on the first run.

“In general, it was quite good. I think I built up quite well through the first run and it was really fast at the end, just feeling the tyre in a really good place.

“Went out for the second run, was caught by the Red Flag, and then the lap after, I think it was a decent effort. I extracted what I could, but I think we just struggled a bit to get everything out of that tyre, with that one lap after the Red Flag.

“So, a little bit disappointed but happy to be competitive and in the game again. I think I was P1 after run one, and fast throughout the session which is good after a disappointing weekend in Bahrain.”

READ MORE: Martins predicting tight battle for Pole in Jeddah after fast start to Friday

Lindblad also said that the track he went out on in Free Practice, when he finished in P11, was much different to the one he took too in Qualifying.

Explaining what changed, he said: “The difference was quite big, but there is always a step in F2, bigger than F3 because of the compound change. But the track temp going down, the tyre just hung on much better, and then generally it was a lot more grippy.

“Still not super high grip, I think we are at a similar lap time to what they did in FP last year. The track does not seem that fast this weekend.

“But from FP to Quali, there was a lot more grip and you could push the limits a lot more, and the circuit all came alive at the end of Quali, which was really good fun.”

Looking ahead to the Sprint Race, Lindblad is set to start from sixth on the grid. He is confident that he and Campos have the car capable of fighting for a podium, but he also plans to use the 20-lap outing to learn more for Sunday’s Feature.

PRACTICE: Martins leads the pack in Jeddah ahead of Qualifying

“For me, there’s quite a lot to learn on the whole, especially with the start and Lap 1,” he said. “It will be a very similar place that I am in for both races. Then I think, driving-wise, getting a bit more experience on the track will be helpful to take into Sunday.

“But I think the conditions will be very different. The Feature Race is quite a lot earlier, so it will be hot and the track will be slow, with the two compounds as well, but there are definitely things to take away. Some of it will have to be with a pinch of salt though.”

Addressing the weekend as a whole, Lindblad also set out what will make for a successful three days in Jeddah.

“I think already quali was positive,” he said. “We’ve known that we have been fast from testing, and also in Melbourne I was fighting for pole until we had an issue on the last lap.

“So, Bahrain was a bit of an anomaly on that side, and even then, we knew the pace was good, but I just made a mistake. So, I am happy to put it on the board now for the first time, so quali already was positive.

READ MORE: Stanek handed grid penalties, Bennett loses fastest lap after Jeddah Qualifying

“Then I think the races, I want to try to go for the podium in both. We are close, we are in a good position for both races, so you never know what could happen.

“The races here are pretty nuts, so there is a lot of opportunities. We will see what happens, but I will be trying to get on the podium for both races, and if a wins possible, I’d be taking it as well.”