Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad has said the genuine advice given by Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has been “inspiring”.

Four-time F1 title-winner Verstappen is the Red Bull mould that all junior drivers in his wake are striving to follow.

Lindblad, 17, is one of the next in line to progress to F1 and Red Bull is excited by the teenage talent ahead of his debut campaign in Formula 2.

The British-Swede driver has revealed his time with Verstappen has been brief, but each encounter has been of benefit.

“He’s always very impressive on the racetrack, and to deal with him, he’s always been really good to me,” Lindblad told RacingNews365.

“He’s obviously very busy, but he still takes the time. We speak, not that much, a bit, whenever I’ve been in the hospitality.

“I’ve sent him the odd message just to have some advice, and he’s always replied very quickly, or been very friendly. 

“It’s not like he’s sent a very short, brief answer. He’s gone into quite a lot of detail and really tried to help me.

“So, yeah, he’s been very friendly. For someone of his calibre, a four-time world champion, all the things he has in his mind, things he has to deal with, to take the time, to be open, honest and quite friendly to someone like me, who’s coming up through the ranks, is very inspiring.

“Obviously, in the future, I want to be in Formula 1. I want to be a world champion, and seeing those characteristics and behaviours from him is something I aspire to have, hopefully in the future.”

Lindblad being prepared for 2026 Racing Bulls F1 seat

Lindblad has been rising up the junior ranks at pace, winning races in Italian F4 and FIA Formula 3 in 2023 and ’24 respectively.

Helmut Marko, who is responsible for identifying and nurturing Red Bull’s junior roster, is putting plans in place to prepare Lindblad for a 2026 F1 shot with the Racing Bulls team.

“We are doing a special programme for him, sending him to New Zealand in this [Formula Regional] championship and the goal is to win it so he gets the necessary points for a Super License,” the Austrian told the Inside Line F1 podcast.

“We want him to win or to be one of the top players in the [Formula 2] championship,” Marko added.

Moreover, Marko wants Lindblad to participate in F1 Testing of Previous Cars running.

“Yes, it’s a plan,” the Austrian said.

“The number isn’t yet decided, but it will be several tests.

“I think in the past, if I compare with [Jack] Doohan, or with [Oscar] Piastri, or also with [Oliver] Bearman, they had a lot of tests in the two-year-old version Formula 1 car.

“And we want… For example, Lawson didn’t have this opportunity, and also, [Isack] Hadjar, to a certain amount, didn’t have this opportunity.

“And this we will change for Arvid that he, if he makes a very good season in Formula 2, that he can go with good experience into F1 in 2026, maybe.”

READ MORE – Red Bull lines up next talent for F1 championship success

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Red Bull’s programme for junior driver Arvid Lindblad is preparing him to be ready for a Racing Bulls Formula 1 seat in 2026.

Lindblad, 17, will contest his rookie season in the FIA Formula 2 Championship next year after taking race victories in Italian F4 and FIA Formula 3 in 2023 and ’24 respectively.

With Liam Lawson getting the nod at Red Bull in 2025 over Yuki Tsunoda, Team Principal Christian Horner has acknowledged that he might need to let go of his Japanese talent, who will be embarking on a fight season at the re-badged Racing Bulls outfit.

The Red Bull Team Principal said [via The Race]: “We’re acutely aware that if we’re not able to provide an opportunity for Yuki – being, in all honesty, this year [2025] – does it make sense [to keep him]?”

Should Tsunoda move out of the Red Bull set-up, or a vacancy at Racing Bulls be created via another avenue, Lindblad certainly looks like the driver to be prepped to replace him.

This is due to Helmut Marko’s comments to the Inside Line F1 podcast, where he revealed the Red Bull Junior Programme’s plans to secure Lindblad an FIA Super License, the 2025 F2 title and an F1 TPC [testing of previous car] schedule.

“We are doing a special programme for him, sending him to New Zealand in this [Formula Regional] championship and the goal is to win it so he gets the necessary points for a Super License,” the Austrian said. 

“Even so, we will be 18 only in August.”

Ahead of his rookie campaign in F2, Red Bull’s target for Lindblad is simple.

“We want him to win or to be one of the top players in the championship,” Marko said.

Regarding TPC F1 testing, Marko acknowledged that “Yes, it’s a plan.

“The number isn’t yet decided, but it will be several tests,” the Austrian added.

Marko referenced the likes of Jack Doohan, Oscar Piastri and Oliver Bearman being fully prepared for their F1 debuts via TPC programmes and wanting to replicate this with Lindblad ahead of a potential move to the premier category in 2026.

“And I think in the past, if I compare with Doohan, or with Piastri, or also with Bearman, they had a lot of tests in the two-year-old version Formula 1 car,” he said.

“And we want… For example, Lawson didn’t have this opportunity, and also, [Isack] Hadjar, to a certain amount, didn’t have this opportunity. 

“And this we will change for Arvid that he, if he makes a very good season in Formula 2, that he can go with good experience into F1 in 2026, maybe.”

Horner lauds talented Lindblad

With regards to Marko’s comments, it’s clear that Red Bull has Hadjar in mind for an F1 future.

Marko shares the responsibility of selecting Red Bull’s four F1 drivers with Horner, who has also seen positive things from Lindblad.

Motorsport Week asked Horner his views on the British teenager during a press conference in Mexico City and the Red Bull boss recalled Lindblad’s impressive double victory at Silverstone earlier this year.

“Arvid is definitely a talent for the future,” Horner said. 

“I think that he’s got the right attitude. He’s got the right approach and determination. 

“And certainly what we’ve seen in some of his racing, Silverstone in particular this year, you know, he’s a very talented driver. 

“So only time will tell how good he is and how far he can go. 

“But certainly he and [Racing Bulls driver] Isack [Hadjar] are both talents that we’re quite excited about.”

READ MORE – Red Bull lines up next talent for F1 championship success

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Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko has earmarked Arvid Lindblad as the junior programme’s next Formula 1 Drivers’ champion.

Marko’s time with Red Bull is majorly taken up with identifying and nurturing talents for its Junior Driver Programme.

Lindblad, 17, has been rising quickly through the single-seater junior period – finishing third in the 2023 Italian Formula 4 standings before taking four race wins en route to fourth in the standings during a rookie campaign in the 2024 FIA Formula 3 World Championship.

The British driver, born to a Swedish father and Indian mother will contest the Formula 2 series next year with Campos and Marko has tipped Lindblad to follow in Max Verstappen’s hallowed footsteps.

“It’s a great pleasure and enjoyment to work with Max, but Max won’t drive forever,” Marko told the Inside Line F1 podcast. 

“Especially not as long as [Fernando] Alonso or [Lewis] Hamilton are doing.”

Verstappen is contracted with Red Bull through 2028 and has hinted that he’s unlikely to sign beyond this to stay in F1.

As a result, Red Bull will need to find a new talent to fill Verstappen’s title-winning shoes.

“The junior team prospect [sic] is to find new talents,” said Marko. “And we are not looking for a new Max. We’re looking for a new champion.

“I think the next one which looks really promising is Lindblad.

“And in his first year, or always in Formula 4, even if he didn’t win the championship, the same applies to F3, he could have won the championship, but circumstances and so on, but what is making him outstanding, is his pure speed.

“In one of the Formula 3 races [at Silverstone], he overtook, in one lap, I don’t know, 10 or 14 other drivers. 

“He won the race from being last in these tricky conditions, wet, dry and so on.

“If I look back, I met him first in Portimão. I met him and his father and it was Arvid who was leading the conversation, with 12 years or so [of age]. 

“So that also was something which is not normal!

“But he had a clear vision and a clear way how to achieve it. And since then he moved steadily forward.”

Red Bull has plan to land Lindblad FIA Super Licence

With Lindblad progressing to Formula 2 in 2025, the Red Bull junior is just one rung away from F1.

Naturally, like those who have gone before him – Liam Lawson, Isaac Hadjar – Red Bull will want Lindblad to compete in FP1 sessions at the earliest possible opportunity.

To do that, Lindblad will be required to get an FIA Super Licence by the time he reaches the required age of 18 next August.

Marko revealed that Red Bull’s plan to achieve this is by sending Lindblad to New Zealand with the goal of winning its Formula Regional series to get the necessary Super Licence points.

Why is Marko impressed by Lindblad?

Marko is clearly impressed by Lindblad and the first thing he notes “is his pure speed.

“He proved that in go-karting and in all the junior categories,” Marko added.

Moreover, Marko said that Lindblad is “very smart, and he is honest to himself. 

“When he makes a mistake, he doesn’t look for excuses, and he’s looking forward,” the Austrian explained. 

“He’s always one category ahead already. That’s also from his physical side. 

“As for his mental preparation, when he goes in a new formula, he is one of the few ones who went directly from Formula 4 to F3. He has his opinion, and he knows how to prepare, and he commits to it and step by step.

“So I would say it’s a very good combination between mental and driving skills.”

In addition, Marko was impressed with Lindblad’s progress in the recent post-season F2 test in Abu Dhabi, where the Briton improved to wind up faster than more experienced team-mate Pepe Marti.

“The first three [F2] test days just happened in Abu Dhabi, and he improved day by day,” Marko said.

“In the beginning, he was around three-tenths behind his team-mate [Pepe] Marti, who already did the full season, and on the last day on the qualifying run, he was already ahead of him. 

“So that shows he watches, he looks what his team-mate is doing, and he knows where to improve.

“So the first step was okay, but we don’t want not only to be just ahead of his team-mate, we want him to win or to be one of the top players in the championship. 

“And that is his commitment, looking, he knows what other drivers are doing, their strengths and weaknesses, so he has an overall picture. And that, I think, is the base for big success in the future.”

READ MORE – Red Bull accepts repeat ‘danger’ possibility with Liam Lawson F1 promotion

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Red Bull Junior driver Arvid Lindblad has been signed by Campos Racing for next season’s FIA Formula Two championship after a successful campaign in Formula 3 this year.

The British youngster took four wins to finish fourth in his debut F3 campaign with Prema Racing, including victory in the Bahrain Sprint, his first-ever race in the category.

He followed this with successes in the Barcelona Feature, as well as a double in-front of his home crowd at Silverstone.

Lindblad said of his signing: “Super excited to be joining Campos Racing in FIA F2 for 2025. The team has had an amazing season so far and can’t wait to start working together. I look forward to joining the long list of drivers that have raced for the team in the past and be a part of its heritage and the legacy of Mr. Adrián Campos.

“The team seems very passionate, hungry and motivated to win. They’ll give me the tools and knowledge to continue to develop as a driver as we push each other to improve.

“I want to say thank you to everyone at Red Bull, the Junior Team and Campos Racing for the opportunity. I can’t wait to get started!”

Having joined Red Bull’s Junior Team programme in 2021, Lindblad is rated very highly by those at the Milton Keynes outfit, including Team Principal Christian Horner, who said after his win in Spain: “Arvid did a great job to win the Formula 3 race. He’s in his rookie season. He’s a real talent.

“He’s one of the brightest talents that we have in the junior program. A very talented young driver and excited about his 16 years of age.

“We’re going to keep an eye on him for the future, for sure.”

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Nikola Tsolov is the second driver this weekend to be barred from competing in the round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, after breaching the FIA Sporting Regulations.

Alpine Junior Tsolov joins Martinius Stenshorne in breaching article 10.4 of the 2024 F3 sporting regulations which clearly states that “No driver entered in the Championship may carry out any type of activity on any track with any type of single-seater car that was designed and/or built to achieve a power-to-weight ratio less than 2.0 kg/bhp.”

In addition, point ‘e’ of article 10.4 states “Genuine participation to a Standalone event needs to be explicitly approved by the FIA and Promoter in writing.”

Stenshorne was found to be in breach of this having failed to inform the necessary parties of his outing in the Silverstone round of the British GB3 series and thus has been barred from competing at the Northamptonshire circuit when FIA F3 races there in the summer.

Tsolov is guilty of similar action after competing at Spa in the Eurocup-3 season opener on April 19 and 20.

The 17-year-old Bulgarian took part with the Spanish outfit GRS but was reportedly “not aware of the requirements of Article 10.4 and his participation in the Eurocup-3 Series, of which he is planning to participate in three more Eurocup-3 Series Races this year, was organized by his management team three days before the event.”

A client of Fernando Alonso’s A14 Management programme, Tsolov and his management team “failed to request written authorization for the driver to take part in the Eurocup-3 Series, as requested in Article 10.4 of the Sporting Regulations.”

This has resulted in him being prohibited from competing in his ART Grand Prix machine when FIA F3 heads to Belgium later in the year.

Red Bull Junior and Prema FIA F3 rookie Arvin Lindblad has also received a €20,000 fine, with €10,000 of the penalty suspended due to his participation in the two-day GB3 Silverstone test on April 25 and 26 with Fortec Motorsport.

The stewards ruling noted that Lindblad “explained that his management team organized the test session at Silverstone and there was a miscommunication with his team. The Team Representative [from Prema] explained that he was unaware of the Driver’s participation in the GB3 test in Silverstone until they received the summons from the Stewards.”

Thus, it has been considered an “administrative error” and the suspended €10,000 proportion of the fine will only be activated if a similar breach of the regulations occurs again.

Lindblad currently lies fifth in the FIA F3 standings on 23 points whilst Tsolov is 16th with seven points.

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Red Bull Academy driver Arvid Lindblad jumped both ART drivers before cruising to the top step of the podium on his debut Formula 3 outing for Prema in Bahrain.

Getting off to a fierce start, polesitter Laurens Van Hoepen led the pack into Turn 1 before his team-mate Nikola Tsolov snatched the top position to lead an ART 1-2.

The scrappy start saw Van Hoepen briefly retake first place from his team-mate until Tsolov’s bold move around the inside saw him snatch the lead once again.

Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic got off to a smoky start, earning a 10-second penalty for causing a collision on the first lap that led to a puncture and tyre change.

Jenzer Motorsport’s Max Esterson held on to third place throughout the first half, utilising the fight between the ART drivers when DRS was enabled to close the gap to the race leader until Lap 9 when Lindblad and Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli jumped him for track position.

The top five broke away from the rest of the pack, chasing their first race win of the season, snapping the track-long DRS train to challenge the ART pairing.

Van Hoepen retook the lead once again in Lap 11 until Tsolov stole it back after a side-by-side scuffle, while Luke Browning picked up a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage with a move around the outside of Christian Mansell.

Lindblad reappeared down the inside, going shoulder to shoulder with Van Hoepen clinging onto second place until a lockup saw him lose his advantage.

The ART pairing swapped track positions for one lap until Van Hoepen made a brief lockup in Turn 11 that dropped him to third place.

Tsolov gained a half-a-second lead going into Lap 14 before Lindblad made a bold lunge down his inside in Lap 15 before Tsolov reclaimed the lead after finding a gap at Turn 4.

The 16-year-old snatched the lead ahead before the first braking zone in the crucial final three laps, breaking away by almost two seconds to force the ART pairing to fight for second.

Breaking the DRS train, Lindblad led into the final lap while Fornaroli stole the second podium position from Tsolov as Gabriele Mini powered his way through the field jumping drivers to finish in seventh place.

Finishing with five seconds to spare, Lindblad earned his first win of the season on his debut while Tsolov dropped his race lead to finish in fourth after being overtaken by his team-mate and Fornaroli.

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