British super-talent and Marko's favourite starts journey towards F1
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Arvid Lindblad has started his adventure in New Zealand. The Red Bull and Britush super-talent needs to secure enough points in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship for his super licence to get into an F1 car in 2025.
The Formula Regional Oceania Championship has kicked off with the first free practice sessions at Taupo International Motorsport Park. The championship will be run entirely in New Zealand, with five race weekends from 11 January to 9 February. It should be the prelude to an official debut in Formula 1 for Lindblad.
The first practice sessions for the Brit have gone well. In the first three practice sessions, he finished second, first and second, respectively. Qualifying and racing will follow later in the weekend, followed immediately by a second and third race on 12 January.
The championship, formerly known as the Toyota Racing Series, is an important step in Lindblad's career. The class is not highly regarded, but it does provide a lot of points for the super licence. Helmut Marko therefore stated that Lindblad will get a special programme.
Lindblad heading for FIA super licence
The special programme seems mainly aimed at helping Lindblad get at least 30 super licence points. The Briton will be allowed to compete during an FP1 in Formula 1 if he collects those points. Red Bull cannot rely on now VCARB driver Isack Hadjar as a test driver, which would make Lindblad the ideal man to test in the F1 cars.
Lindblad has already accumulated some points. For his fourth place finish in the drivers' standings in the Formula 3 championship, for example, Lindblad got 15 points, but in previous years he also finished third in the Italian F4 championship and fourth in the Euro 4 championship.
In New Zealand, Lindblad needs to get the final points to have enough for his super licence, with many being handed out for it. For instance, the winner of the series gets 18 points, while the second-place driver will receive 14 points, with the third-place taking 12 points, respectively. It is up to the 17-year-old to collect as many points as possible to make his F1 debut as early as 2025.
Lindblad is considered the Red Bull Junior Team's greatest talent by Helmut Marko. After finishing fourth in the 2024 Formula 3 championship, the Brit will make his appearance in Formula 2 in 2025. There, he will become Isack Hadjar's successor at Campos Racing, and the teammate of Red Bull talent Pepe Marti.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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