Who is Arvid Lindblad, the Red Bull talent dreaming of battling Verstappen
In recent days, there’s been increasing talk about the young British talent Arvid Lindblad, a driver from the Red Bull Junior Academy. At just seventeen years old and currently competing in the Formula 2 championship, Lindblad received a special exemption yesterday allowing him to obtain the FIA super licence ahead of time. Thanks to this waiver, he could take part in official Formula 1 sessions as early as the coming weeks.
This move, strongly pushed by Red Bull, suggests that the Austrian team is preparing for the possibility that its star driver Max Verstappen may be suspended for a Grand Prix due to the penalty points currently on his licence. According to the regulations, once a driver reaches 12 points, an automatic one-race suspension is triggered. As of now, and until October, the Dutchman has 11 points, meaning any incident could prove extremely costly.
While those who follow the junior categories are already familiar with Arvid Lindblad’s personality, many others are just getting to know him in recent weeks. After starting in karting, Arvid moved to single-seaters in 2022, and just a year later he managed to win the Formula 4 “World Championship” held in Macau, one of the most challenging circuits in the world.
In 2025, he then claimed the title in Formula Regional Oceania before debuting in Formula 2 with Campos. After just 11 races, he has already achieved: one pole position, one fastest lap, three podiums, and two wins, placing him third in the championship, only eight points behind the leader.
This year, he was also promoted to test driver for the Faenza-based Racing Bulls team, Red Bull’s “junior” squad.
What’s also impressive is the British driver’s mindset. Five years ago, he told Lando Norris: “In five years I’m sure I’ll be racing against you,” and now, thanks to the super licence, that “prediction” may soon come true.
Recently, Autosport interviewed Lindblad with some rapid-fire questions. One of them was: “Who is your motorsport hero?” Arvid answered without hesitation: “Lewis Hamilton.” Among the tracks he dreams of racing on is the famous “Nordschleife,” while his ideal teammate is “Max Verstappen.” Based on these answers, the young Red Bull talent clearly knows what he wants. Now we just have to wait and see if his Formula 1 debut will come soon—and above all, who he’ll line up next to.
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