The young British driver Arvid Lindblad continued his testing program, taking to the track at Mugello in the 2023 Red Bull car. This session gave him the chance to accumulate mileage on a high-speed circuit, following previous tests at Silverstone and Imola, although the two-day Mugello program was affected by rain.
The Mugello weekend also featured Romain Grosjean’s return to an F1 car with Haas during a TPC test, while the American team simultaneously participated in Pirelli sessions for the development of 2026 tires alongside Ferrari. Alongside these two teams, Red Bull had a strong presence as well, conducting a test with Lindblad.
This phase is a critical moment for Red Bull’s driver lineup decisions for the upcoming season. Isack Hadjar appears set for promotion after just one year, leaving a seat open in Racing Bulls. That seat is likely to go to a young Red Bull Junior Team driver, and Lindblad, currently competing in Formula 2, is strongly backed by Helmut Marko as a future star. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson will compete for the other Faenza-based team seat.
To prepare Arvid Lindblad, Red Bull organized an extensive TPC test program to allow him to gain confidence in an F1 car. Initial tests began earlier this year at Imola in the AT04, the 2023 Racing Bulls car, and continued throughout the season with additional sessions. These opportunities not only allowed the team to evaluate him in a real F1 car, albeit with demo tires and a car at least two years old as required by regulations, but also prepared him for FP1 rookie sessions where he would substitute for Racing Bulls or Red Bull drivers.
Lindblad even received a superlicense exemption, allowing him to participate in official race weekends, as he did at Silverstone when he drove the RB21 in place of Tsunoda.
The testing program continued this week, with the young British driver completing two more days at Mugello on Thursday and Friday in a 2019 Red Bull, sharing the track with Haas and Ferrari, both running Pirelli tire development sessions. The goal was less about learning new car systems, already familiar from simulator work, and more about gaining valuable mileage on a fast circuit like Mugello. Its high-speed corners test both the driver’s physical endurance and ability to rely on aerodynamic downforce—one of the most challenging aspects for a newcomer.
Unfortunately, rain affected both days of testing, limiting dry track running. Nonetheless, the sessions provided a valuable opportunity to gain experience in wet conditions, adding another important step in the development of the promising young British driver.
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