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Red Bull believes in Lindblad: Does a Grand Prix debut in '25 beckon?
- Ludo van Denderen
Arvid Lindblad could just make his debut as a Grand Prix driver in Formula 1 during 2025. How exactly will the Red Bull Junior Team driver do it? GPblog lays it all out.
For regular Formula Regional Oceania Championship drivers, it is sour grapes. Drivers at the beginning of their careers had hopes of making a successful start in New Zealand these months. But alas; Arvid Lindblad is also competing - a Formula 2 driver whom Red Bull Racing expects to see in F1 in the foreseeable future.
As assumed beforehand, the young Briton (17) drives all competitors home and can smell the championship by now. Unfair for an F2 driver to mix among the rookies? Possibly, although according to the rules he is doing nothing wrong. And it's not going to be a surprise if Lindblad soon clinches the top prize.
Lindblad can probably become Red Bull's reserve
I'm sure it will lead to some joy, but that will mainly be for another fact. As many as 18 points will the Oceania Championship title earn him towards the Super Licence. That number would be enough for the Swedish Briton to actually get his hands on a Formula One licence.
Lindblad can theoretically already participate in free practice in Formula 1 - he already has enough licence points for that - but with a Superlicence, he can even participate in a Grand Prix. Nobody should be surprised when Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls announce after the championship in New Zealand that Lindblad will be the regular reserve driver for both teams next season, succeeding Isack Hadjar. Without the Super Licence, that is not possible, though.
Should Lindblad be forced to make his debut in Formula 1 in the coming months (out of necessity), FIA permission is required, by the way. Normally, an F1 driver must be at least 18 years old, unless exceptional qualities are attributed to him. In that case, an exemption position can be requested. For Lindblad, such a request to the FIA seems like a formality.
In any case, with the Grand Prix season in mind, it is easy to explain why Lindblad and Red Bull are currently in New Zealand trying to secure that Super Licence. Of course, the main focus is on 2026 and beyond, if Lindblad is a candidate to enter F1 permanently. But as mentioned, there is a possibility that his services could be needed earlier. It seems that this was the main reason for pushing for earning the Superlicence now.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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