The FIA has issued a Formula 1 superlicence to Red Bull’s junior driver, Arvid Lindblad, before he turns 18, following a request from the team. Lindblad will celebrate his 18th birthday on August 8, which is the usual age required for a superlicence, but he already has enough points from his success in junior racing to qualify.
Arvid Lindblad is an up-and-coming talent in Red Bull’s junior program.
After a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Macau, the FIA announced that it had received a request to grant Lindblad the superlicence before he reaches 18.
A statement explained, “After reviewing the information supporting this request, the World Council determined that the driver has recently shown remarkable skill and maturity in single-seater racing and thus approved the request.”
Currently, Lindblad ranks third in the Formula 2 championship after winning his first feature race of the season at the last event in Spain.
The British driver is set to participate in free practice sessions before the August break, and he will also serve as a reserve driver for Red Bull and its junior team, Racing Bulls.
This could be important for both Red Bull teams because reigning champion Max Verstappen is just one penalty point away from having his superlicence suspended for a race.
Even though Lindblad’s superlicence application was submitted before Verstappen received three penalty points at the last race in Spain, Lindblad could offer an option instead of current reserve Ayuma Iwasa, who is racing in Japan’s Super Formula.
Lindblad is viewed as an up-and-coming talent in Red Bull’s junior program and is likely to be a top choice for a driver with Racing Bulls in 2026.
Right now, Red Bull has four drivers under contract in F1: Verstappen paired with Yuki Tsunoda on the main team, and Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson competing for the junior team.
