Arvid Lindblad did not disappoint Red Bull during his rookie outing in the first free practice session at the Mexican Grand Prix, forcing the team to think carefully about its driver line-up for 2026. FP1 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez offered a glimpse of Formula 1’s future, and among the young drivers on track, Lindblad stood out as the fastest rookie — even ahead of Yuki Tsunoda — earning praise from Helmut Marko and the Red Bull management.
The young British driver, born in 2007, delivered a solid performance for the team under the watchful eye of Max Verstappen, who followed the session closely from the Red Bull pit wall. Beyond gathering valuable data, the key for Lindblad was to stay composed and avoid taking unnecessary risks that could have damaged Verstappen’s car, which he was driving for the session.
Despite not pushing to the limit, Arvid Lindblad finished his FP1 session in sixth place, just 617 thousandths behind Charles Leclerc, who topped the timesheets. Even more impressively, the Red Bull Junior outperformed all other rookies on track — and crucially, he ended the session ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, another strong candidate for the seat alongside Verstappen in 2026.
Helmut Marko was particularly pleased with the young driver’s performance and spoke highly of him in an interview with Mara Sangiorgio. “I mean, for Arvid it was a very difficult situation. He was told not to do anything wrong, not to crash, but he still managed to deliver. He was the fastest debutant, and I must say his technical feedback really impressed us. We are very happy with what he did,” said the Red Bull advisor.
With 2026 approaching and major regulation changes on the horizon, the Austrian team is carefully evaluating its options for the future. Marko confirmed that discussions are ongoing, although he remained discreet about the timing of any official announcements. “We’ve got the answers we were looking for, but I can’t yet tell you when we’ll announce the driver pairings. We’re waiting a bit longer and will decide after the race here,” he explained.
From a technical standpoint, Marko was also satisfied with how the car behaved during the Mexican session. “The performance was good, not far from the fastest cars. In qualifying simulation we looked more competitive,” he noted, reflecting Red Bull’s cautious optimism heading into the rest of the weekend.
Finally, Marko couldn’t avoid a comment about Max Verstappen, of whom he remains the biggest supporter. “He’s the fastest and the best driver. Our car is competitive again, and mentally he’s incredibly strong,” said the Austrian, reaffirming his confidence in Verstappen’s pursuit of another world title.
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