Was promoting Arvid Lindblad to F1 the right call from Red Bull?
- Caitlyn Gordon
- 7 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Written by Caitlyn Gordon, Edited by Meghana Sree
Is Racing Bulls' recently announced 2026 driver Arvid Lindblad ready for F1, or is it too early for the 18-year-old?
Red Bull held the final piece of the Formula One 2026 lineup puzzle close to its chest, hanging a looming question mark over Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson’s futures within the team. The fate of their driver line-ups has plagued the team since the summer break, with rumours circling about the variety of possibilities.
As the 2025 season draws to an end in Abu Dhabi this weekend, Red Bull finally slotted in the missing piece, announcing Hadjar as Tsunoda’s successor and notably Max Verstappen’s newest teammate. In the Racing Bull team, Lawson kept his seat, pairing up with a different rookie for 2026; Arvid Lindblad.
But who is the 18-year-old superstar that Red Bull claim to be the team’s “next champion”? And is it the right call or is it too early?
A new star joins the racing scene
Lindblad started out like most aspiring racing drivers through the traditional route of karting. After claiming multiple trophies he caught the eyes of Formula E world champion Oliver Rowland. At just 13-years-old Lindblad caught a major break in his early career by signing with Red Bull Racing, replicating the footsteps of Sebastian Vettel.
The choice to sign a driver so young to its academy highlighted the belief the team had in him early on.
The dual-nationality driver didn’t step up into the single-seater scene until 2023, where he competed in Formula 4 UAE, sealing his maiden victory at the Dubai Autodrome. He competed in Euro 4 simultaneously, where he added another victory to his cabinet and finished the season in fourth.
However, his main focus for 2023 was competing in Italian F4 with PREMA Racing, where he truly shined. Lindblad dominated the series, where he became a strong title contender after claiming six victories, before finishing the season in third.
While his accolades already impress, Lindblad cemented his name as a future star with a commanding victory at the prestigious Macau F4 World Cup. His early career success paved the way for progression in the feeder series ladder, where he moved into F3 with PREMA. Lindblad quickly became recognised as a talent to watch as he became the youngest F3 race winner, after a sprint victory in Bahrain at just 16-years-old.
However, what impressed more was his home race, where Lindblad claimed a historic double victory, a feat no F3 driver has ever achieved before. The British-Swede was still in the running for the championship in Monza, however finished his rookie season in fourth overall.
After a strong campaign in his second season in single-seaters Lindblad was nominated for the ARAMCO Rookie of the Year award, which he won.
Just like his previous two years, Lindblad started the season off strong, in the second race of the season he took victory in Jeddah; he added onto his list of records, becoming the youngest F2 race winner.
Just six weeks later, he became the youngest pole sitter in F2 in Barcelona where he converted his pole position into a maiden Feature Race victory.
He faced some setbacks in Monza with a weekend to forget after two crashes in the Sprint and Feature caused a double-retirement. However, despite the challenging weekend, he has finished every other race in the top 10. With one round to go in the 2025 F2 season, Lindblad sits sixth overall in the Drivers’ Championship.
But is he ready to take the next step into the pinnacle of racing?
Teams are pushing in pursuit of finding the next Verstappen — who debuted at 17-years-old — and investing in their young drivers more.
Lindblad hasn’t been the only young driver fast-tracked into the spotlight of F1 in recent years. Toto Wolff made the bold decision in 2024 to slot Kimi Antonelli into Mercedes’ line-up for the following year after Lewis Hamilton announced his historic switch to Ferrari.
Mercedes drew criticism for promoting the 18-year-old after his rapid advance through the feeder series, only completing three years in single-seaters.
The Italian has gone on to silence the naysayers, claiming a maiden sprint pole position in Miami and three podium finishes to date, with his most notable in São Paulo where Antonelli defended against an eager Verstappen, finishing second.
While he has made mistakes throughout the year, that is something to be expected of a rookie, but Antonelli sits seventh in the standings, just two points behind the seven-time world champion whose shoes he filled at Mercedes.
Antonelli’s case clearly highlights that despite his lack of experience and young age, he was ready for F1; a trajectory that could relate to Lindblad.
Red Bull are replicating that leap they took with Verstappen in 2016 by promoting Lindblad to the development team, Racing Bulls. The team have been preparing for the promotion since last season, creating an extensive programme for Lindblad to achieve his superlicense early and prepare him for the jump.
While obtaining a superlicense is strictly for those over 18, the FIA can grant it early to drivers who showcase “outstanding ability and maturity”, something Antonelli was acknowledged for in the previous season.
After Lindblad showcased his talent in the junior series and participated in several TPC (Testing Previous Cars) sessions with Red Bull, the FIA accepted the request, a spokesperson of the FIA noting:
“At the sole discretion of the FIA, a driver judged to have recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition may be granted a Super Licence at the age of 17-years-old.”
Since then, Lindblad has competed in two FP1 sessions, one in Silverstone where he recorded 22 laps and finished the session in 14th and more recently in Mexico City, placing the car into sixth on the timing boards.
Helmut Marko has heavily praised the young driver and how he handles the pressure. In an interview with Inside Line F1 Podcast, Marko went on to recall the historic Silverstone weekend and how he met Lindblad:
"In one of the Formula 3 races [at Silverstone in 2024], he overtook, in one lap, I don't know, 10 or 14 other drivers. He won the race from being last in these tricky conditions, wet, dry and so on.
"If I look back, I met him first in Portimão (in Portugal). Portimão has a very attractive go-kart circuit and we had an F1 race and I met him and his father. And it was Arvid who was leading the conversation, with 12 years (of age) or so. So that also was something which is not normal.
"But he had a clear vision and a clear way how to achieve it. And since then he moved steadily forward."
While only time can tell if Red Bull have made the right call promoting Lindblad, the confidence the team has placed in him is promising.
If the dual-nationality driver continues on his current trajectory, he could cement himself as a long term candidate for a Red Bull seat, either alongside Verstappen or as a successor.
