NZ Grand Prix – Lindblad’s Crowning Glory?

The final chapter of the 2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship takes place this weekend at the unique and picturesque Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell and concludes with the 69th New Zealand Grand Prix.

It’s been a season that has seen one driver – Red Bull Junior Arvid Lindblad – stand tall in a very high quality field. And it is him who heads into the big finale this weekend as odds-on favourite for the title and the GP.

Mathematically, the three drivers behind Lindblad in the points can also leave Cromwell as Castrol Toyota FR Oceania champions. The chances of that happening are slim at best, particularly as there are three races over the weekend including the Grand Prix itself where Lindblad can secure the small amount of points he needs for the title. Lindblad could secure the title as early as Saturday afternoon if he beats his nearest rivals by enough in the first race.

Of more intrigue is the question of who will win the 69th New Zealand Grand Prix and add their name to a list that any F1 Grand Prix would look at with envy. Moss, Surtees, Stewart, Brabham, McLaren, Hill, Amon, Rosberg, Norris and a vast array of other huge motorsport names have won the New Zealand Grand Prix and that’s the reason why it remains one of only two races outside of F1 that the FIA give Grand Prix status to.

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Lindblad stands on the threshold of making motorsport history in New Zealand this weekend – even if that is not his focus. Arvid has said himself on numerous occasions he’s only interested in winning races and hopefully the significance of this weekend’s big race won’t be lost on him. He won’t change the way he goes about the weekend though, he’s too good for that.

Winning races means winning the title and that means Super License points that could give him the opportunity to race in F1 as early as this year is any drivers at Red Bull or its junior team Racing Bulls fail to perform or get sick or injured. That’s how close he is to an F1 debut. He just needs the correct amount of points on his license and that is the only reason he is competing in NZ.

The bare fact is that he is something special. He makes few – if any – mistakes, he’s ruthless on track, he can produce his best form when he needs to and he’s not afraid of taking on the big ‘moment’ – witness his race winning pass on M2 Competition teammate Matias Zagazeta on the first corner at Teretonga last weekend. A corner which it should be noted, is one of the fastest and longest of any in New Zealand and one which is also completely unforgiving if you make a mistake.

More than 25 drivers over the 20 year history of New Zealand’s Toyota-supported premier single seater championship and now FIA junior series have gone on to drive officially in F1 be it in testing, practice or in a full Grand Prix. The F1 championship currently has four series graduates in it with Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Lance Stroll. A fifth if you include Franco Colapinto currently waiting in the wings at Alpine. None of them clean-swept the feature races as Lindblad can do this weekend if he takes out the NZ GP title. That should tell you enough about his talent.

It’s not an ‘easy’ season either and there are a whole host of drivers who will be very keen indeed to steal the big one from him this weekend. Nikita Johnson, Zack Scoular, Patrick Heuzenroeder, Zagazeta and perhaps Michael Shin all have the ability and the speed that if they can get their nose in front, they might prove difficult to beat. Zagazeta will want revenge for last weekend’s big race at Teretonga, of course, while American M2 driver Johnson – surely an Indycar star of the future given his NZ form – could thrive in a long race where his ability to keep his tyres alive until the end could be a crucial factor.

Scoular – already crowned this season’s Rookie champion – will be keen to end his and mtec Motorsport’s series with a win in the big one. Heuzenroeder is one of the finds of the championship, a young Aussie star in the making who could also spring a surprise this weekend. Like Johnson, he’s got the speed to win and will be fighting hard until the last lap. Shin showed plenty of pace in the Teretonga feature and ran well at Highlands last year.

Outside of the championship and Grand Prix there is even more intrigue for fans with both of Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Supercars stars – champion Will Brown and series runner up Broc Feeney – set to go head to head this weekend. Both have circuit knowledge and that will give them a useful advantage.

Feeney has done even less single seater time than Brown so it could be that he just gets better and better this weekend with every session. The best – and these two can certainly be included in that category – tend to be able to do that. And that means it is not inconceivable either – or both – could shine on this final weekend around the scenic Cromwell circuit.

This weekend will also include the regular NZ GP challenge of an F1 style qualifying session – with three stages where only the fastest drivers progress to the final stages to fight it out for the best starting spot in the Grand Prix. There’s a lot to look forward to this weekend and it begins with unofficial testing Thursday, Friday practice and then F1-style Qualifying session and Race 1 on Saturday. On Sunday morning, the reverse grid Race 2 a nice first course to the afternoon’s Grand Prix.

2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship – Points after Round 4

2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship

Round 01: 10 – 12 January 2025, Taupo International Motorsport Park

Round 02: 17 – 19 January 2025, Hampton Downs International Motorsport Park

Round 03: 24 – 26 January 2025, Manfeild, Circuit Chris Amon

Round 04: 31 January – 2 February 2025, Teretonga Park, Invercargill

Round 05: 7 – 9 February 2025, Highlands Motorsport Park, 69th New Zealand Grand Prix

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