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.”
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