Red Bull prodigee Arvid Lindblad has had a rookie season in F2 and is currently sitting seventh in the standings. The Brit has shown glimpses of speed and talent, with Red Bull bosses wanting to give the youngster a chance next season.
Out of the current crop of Red Bull drivers, only Max Verstappen has a contract beyond the end of this season. This means slotting Lindblad in would be easy for the Austrian team, as they wouldn’t have to break a contract. But has the 18-year-old done enough this season to warrant an F1 seat?
Arvid Lindblad is linked to Racing Bulls seat
F1’s silly season didn’t get going over the summer break this season, but Red Bull’s driver choices are still a hot topic. Verstappen driving for the Austrian team is the only certainty for the 2026 season. However, Arvid Lindblad is set to make his F1 debut with Racing Bulls, according to AMuS, which claims the deal is “practically secured“.
The news comes after Lindblad had a poor weekend in Monza. The youngster had two separate collisions, both deemed his fault, and retired from the race with damage. However, Lindblad has largely impressed in his rookie year.
Teen Sensation Arvid Lindblad Impresses Red Bull With Stunning Silverstone FP Debut
He took his first victory in only his fourth race, the sprint in Jeddah. He followed it up with another podium in the next race weekend at Imola, finishing the sprint race second. The 18-year-old went on to dominate the feature race in Barcelona, winning from pole position. After a couple of difficult weekends in Austria and Britain, Lindblad won in Spa, only to be disqualified with a technical infringement.
Overall, Lindblad has shown good speed. However, we have seen with Kimi Antonelli that being promoted too early can have a negative impact. The Brit might need another year in the junior series to develop before securing an F1 drive.
Who would Arvid Lindblad replace?
Reports are claiming that Isack Hadjar has impressed Red Bull enough for them to promote the Frenchman to the team’s second seat. This would leave Yuki Tsuonda and Liam Lawson under threat of losing their seats.
Yuki Tsunoda has not impressed since being promoted to the senior team. He has only managed to score nine points in Red Bull colours and sits nineteenth in the championship. He needs to improve his form, or he could find himself out of the team.
Liam Lawson was demoted after just two races for Red Bull. His results for the main team weren’t up to scratch, while it took the Kiwi time to recover from the early demotion. However, the 23-year-old has demonstrated character in bouncing back to score in four races this season, with a best finish of sixth in Austria.
If either driver is let go, they will likely drop out of the sport. The only team looking for a possible new driver is Alpine, but they might look into their pool of drivers. Neither Tsunoda nor Lawson can afford to lose their seat. If they do, it could spell the end of their F1 careers.
