FIA Formula 2 Post-Qualifying Press Conference: Lindblad Secures Maiden Pole Position in Barcelona
The FIA Formula 2 championship has reached its sixth round, and the racing action is heating up. The post-qualifying press conference was attended by the top three finishers in Formula 2, including Kush Maini of DAMS Lucas Oil, Sebastián Montoya for PREMA Racing, and Arvid Lindblad for Campos Racing, who secured his maiden pole position. According to the FIA Formula 2 website, Lindblad’s pole position was a significant achievement, marking a milestone in his Formula 2 career.
Arvid Lindblad expressed his delight at securing pole position, stating that it "feels really good" and that he’s "very happy to finally get it." As reported by the FIA Formula 2 website, Lindblad had been quick from the very first laps in practice, and his confidence grew as the qualifying session progressed. He attributed his success to his team’s hard work and his own ability to stay focused, saying, "Free Practice gave me a lot of confidence, we had a good practice. From the first lap the pace was good, I felt comfortable from the beginning."
Lindblad’s pole position was not without its challenges, however. He had to navigate a difficult qualifying session, taking it "step by step" to ensure he could secure the top spot. As quoted on the FIA Formula 2 website, Lindblad said, "On the first lap I knew that I had to push quite hard, but it was a bit of an unknown because it was the first lap on the Soft. I saw after Run 1 that the speed was strong and it was just about doing the job again on Set 2 and doing all my bits right."
Sebastián Montoya, who secured second place, was gracious in defeat, acknowledging that Lindblad had done a great job. As reported by the FIA Formula 2 website, Montoya stated that his team had worked hard to improve the car’s performance, but they were missing that "last little bit" to secure pole position. Montoya’s second-place finish marks his second consecutive top-two result in qualifying, and he expressed his satisfaction with the outcome, saying, "To be on the front row feels really nice."
Montoya also reflected on his progress since the start of the season, citing changes in his mentality and approach as key factors in his improved qualifying performances. According to the FIA Formula 2 website, Montoya said, "A lot behind the scenes has changed, and the mentality that I’ve used for this season. I knew Qualifying wasn’t my strongest point, in the races, I have always been quite strong and quite quick, but I knew I was missing a little bit in Qualifying."
Kush Maini, who secured third place, was pleased with his result, marking his best finish of the season so far. As quoted on the FIA Formula 2 website, Maini said, "I am definitely pleased. It’s been a tough start to the season and quali normally my strongest point the last two seasons and switching teams it’s been more difficult to get up to speed, but the last two rounds, I’ve felt strong."
The FIA Formula 2 website reported that Maini’s result was a significant improvement for DAMS Lucas Oil, who have been working hard to improve their performance. Maini expressed his optimism about the upcoming races, saying, "I feel like our season has just started, and it’s going to be built on from here, so feeling good."
As the championship heats up, all eyes will be on Sunday’s feature race, where Lindblad will start from pole position. According to the FIA Formula 2 website, Maini will start on the clean side of the grid, and he’s cautious about the long run to Turn 1, saying, "It’s a Feature Race and it’s a very long one. It doesn’t end in Turn 1, in F2, it’s all about strategy and how you maintain the tyres, so there is no point going crazy into Turn 1."
