Arvid Lindblad critical of „extreme“ Zandvoort F1 penalty

Arvid Lindblad has labelled his Dutch Grand Prix „excessive“ after he was caught up within the lap one mayhem sparked by Max Verstappen’s race-ending crash. 

Racing Bulls driver Lindblad has loved a robust 2026 marketing campaign up to now, with the only real rookie on the Method 1 grid presently eleventh within the standings and with greatest finishes of seventh place, scored in Monaco and Silverstone. 

However his Zandvoort weekend was overshadowed by a lap one penalty, after he was judged to have accomplished an overtake underneath double-waved yellows. Whereas that is clearly in opposition to the laws, Verstappen’s incident resulted in drivers dramatically altering their tempo in avoidance, creating extreme velocity variations as drivers sought to flee the mayhem unscathed. 

Sadly for Lindblad, he handed Pierre Gasly going into Flip 1, which noticed him handed a drive-through penalty. 

„We have been in a extremely good place after the primary lap,“ he stated. „I believe the penalty’s a bit harsh. I believe we are able to all agree it is fairly excessive. 

„However advantageous, it’s what it’s; there isn’t any level speculating about it now. It is completed. 

„It is only a bit unhappy as a result of I believe that type of ruined our race. However then after that, we really executed fairly a robust one. There are some things we might have completed higher, however regardless, it was an excellent race. 

„I am simply unhappy to not get any factors, as a result of I believe I and the staff, we deserved that. Little doubt, with out the penalty, we might have been P8.“

Lindblad was not alone in feeling that his penalty was a steep one, with F1TV pundit Alex Brundle in settlement with the Racing Bulls driver. 

„I believe it’s harsh. The accepted option to go about it as a driver is for those who’re successfully avoiding the crash, you keep away from the crash and also you do every little thing that you could to just remember to do not change into a part of the accident,“ stated Brundle.

„It is tough to then add in further issues that the drivers have to pay attention to throughout an incident to guarantee that they do not then go a automotive secondarily to that.

„It relies upon how far you might be away from the incident. But when you have not really handed a yellow flag and for those who’re really making an attempt to get across the incident, I believe it is harsh then to penalise you for passing one other driver whilst you’re really taking evasive motion.“