Formula One rookie Arvid Lindblad has revealed he still has not passed his road driving test despite preparing for his Silverstone debut this weekend.
Speaking to Will Buxton on the Up To Speed podcast, the 18 year old admitted he has not even taken a driving lesson. He also revealed he narrowly failed his driving theory test after leaving his revision until the night before.
When asked if he had passed his driving test, Lindblad simply replied: “No.”
Will Buxton then asked if he had at least started taking lessons, but Lindblad admitted: “No, I haven’t actually had a lesson yet. I did my theory a couple months ago.”
After Buxton asked how the theory test had gone, Lindblad confessed he had failed by a single mark.
He explained: “Yeah, it was quite bad. Yeah, I was quite disappointed, especially because I’d started revising only at like 8pm the day before.
“So, I did like three or four hours of revision, which I thought was enough, because I spoke to my mate and he was just like, ‘Yeah, I just turned up.’ I was like, ‘Right, I’ll do a bit revision, I’ll be fine,’ and I missed by one.”
The conversation then turned to what it might be like for a driving instructor teaching someone capable of racing a Formula One car.
Lindblad said his plan is to take a lesson focused on the details required to pass the practical test rather than learning how to drive from scratch.
He said: “I don’t know, maybe I’m very naive, but my sort of plan was to have a lesson to sort of learn about all the things that the instructors are very hot on.
“You know, checking your mirrors multiple times, all those sorts of basic stuff that aren’t really actually proper driving, to make sure I’m on top of all of that.”
He added that he has already driven on public roads with his mum and feels comfortable parking and handling a road car, but believes a lesson would help him avoid being caught out by the specific requirements of the driving test.
The full interview with Arvid Lindblad is available now on the Up To Speed podcast with Will Buxton on YouTube, Global Player and all major podcast platforms
