“I’m very grateful for the support:” F1’s rising star Arvid Lindblad on his journey to the top with Red Bull
- Jasmin Low
- 19 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Written by Jasmin Low, edited by Rohan Brown
Formula One will see just one new face joining the grid in 2026 in 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad, who is set to fill the seat of fellow Campos Racing alumnus Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls (RB).
Lindblad makes the jump into the highest echelon of single-seater racing following a successful junior career, with highlights including placing third overall in the 2022 Italian Formula 4 championship, winning the Formula Regional Oceania Championship early in 2025 and holding the record as the youngest race winner in both Formula 3 and Formula 2, setting the feeder series world alight.
A breakthrough weekend came at his home race in Silverstone, becoming the first driver to win both the Sprint and Feature race on a single F3 weekend. The stellar performance cemented his place as a driver on the rise to F1.
A move from PREMA Racing to Campos for his rookie F2 season in 2025 saw Lindblad following a similar pathway to Hadjar, who had fought for the title and finished second in the championship with the team the year prior. The Frenchman was also backed by Red Bull for part of his junior career, representing the Austrian-based team from 2022 before graduating to F1 for his rookie season in 2025.
Despite the season’s peaks and troughs, Lindblad delivered some standout performances including three race victories in Jeddah, Barcelona and Yas Island, rounding out the season in sixth place.
The British driver spent the bulk of his junior career as a member of the Red Bull junior team, which is designed as a talent pipeline preparing young drivers for the pinnacle of motorsport.
“I’m very fortunate to be part of the Red Bull program, I joined the program in I think 2020, when I was thirteen. So, yeah, I’ve really grown through the ranks with Red Bull.” Lindblad told DIVEBOMB Motorsport Magazine, mentioning his longstanding ties to the team.
The Red Bull Junior Team has produced a number of successful F1 drivers, including the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Alex Albon and Max Verstappen. Lindblad, who has been praised as “the next Max Verstappen,” is keen to mark his own name in F1 history.
Evidently, the British driver’s performances on the road to F1 impressed the Red Bull family enough to warrant a full-time drive at RB. In doing so, he becomes the program’s latest success in the wake of a significant refresh to their junior ranks.
“I’ve developed mentally and am where I am now partly because of them. They’ve played a massive role and I’m very grateful for the support they’ve given me.”
An application by Red Bull to award Lindblad an early Super Licence allowed the-then 17-year-old to drive in free practice at Silverstone. Now, with three FP1 sessions as well as post-season testing under his belt, Lindblad has gained valuable mileage in F1 machinery and had the opportunity to provide feedback to the team.
His outing at the Mexico City Grand Prix also provided an important chance to complete laps at one of the 10 circuits which did not appear on the F2 calendar in 2025.
However, an entirely new challenge lies ahead in 2026. Lindblad’s F1 debut comes at a crucial time for RB, as F1 enters a new era off the back of a historical regulatory overhaul. The newest generation of F1 cars reportedly exhibit increased similarities to the Dallara F2 car, potentially awarding the Briton the benefit of having been the most recent driver to have piloted F2 machinery.
Fans will get an initial glimpse into the performance of both the drivers and their teams in these new-generation cars in February, with pre-season testing in Bahrain from February 11-13.
