Arvid Lindblad tackles world’s shortest Fiat Panda and motorised sofa in off-track stunt
Racing Bulls Formula 1 rookie Arvid Lindblad took full advantage of some recent downtime to tackle an unusual driving challenge, getting behind the wheel of the world’s shortest Fiat Panda in a collaboration with Italian car modification channel Carmagheddon.
The 19-year-old Briton experienced a wild ride in the Guinness World Record-holding machine, nearly flipping the heavily modified vehicle during an endo contest before pulling off an impressive save.
Navigating Motorised Furniture and Record-Breaking Machinery
Before attempting the extreme dynamics of the shortened Panda, Lindblad warmed up on a makeshift test circuit featuring a figure-eight layout and a tight hairpin—piloting a motorised sofa. The experience proved surprisingly daunting for the grand prix driver.
“I’ve got to be honest, when I first got on it, I was pretty scared,” Lindblad admitted. “I was more nervous before driving that than I am before F1. In practice and even qualifying, I am calmer than I was driving this.”
He added: “Once I was used to it, it was better. It’s not easy. It’s quite difficult to drive, and I never thought I would drive a sofa before in my life.”
Pushing the Limits in the Shortened Panda
The headline act of the day came when Lindblad stepped into the micro-sized Panda for a challenge to see who could achieve the highest endo. Pushing the boundaries of balance, the teenager took the car right to the edge of tipping over.
“You told me before it’s impossible to roll so I was super confident,” Lindblad explained. “I did the first one and then I said, ‘OK, I’m going so slowly, I need to start pushing.’
“I went a bit higher than expected on the last one. I was looking at the floor. It was almost vertical, it was crazy. I think I’ll stop now; otherwise I will flip it, but I enjoyed it a lot.”
A Strong Debut Campaign in Formula 1
The off-track escapade comes amid what has been an impressive start to Lindblad’s maiden campaign in the top flight, as Arvid Lindblad calls his impressive rookie F1 season “a dream”.
Lindblad currently sits 11th in the drivers’ championship standings with 31 points. Meanwhile, his Racing Bulls team-mate Liam Lawson—who has recently been deputising for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull Racing—occupies ninth position in the standings with 59 points.
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.