Arvid Lindblad is the newest addition to the Formula One grid for the 2026 season. He will race alongside Liam Lawson at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls as the only rookie driver on the grid. During the 2025 season, he was racing in F2 with Campos Racing as a part of the Red Bull Junior Team, but what got him here?

Arvid Lindblad was born August 8th 2007 in Virginia Water, Surrey, to a Swedish father and an Indian British mother.  

Like most F1 drivers, Lindblad got an early start in karting. By the age of five, he was karting competitively at Daytona Sandown Park in Esher. His rise through the karting scene in the UK was rapid.

Lindblad became British Cadet Champion in 2019. He went on to win the WSK Super Master Series in 2020 and the WSK Euro Series in 2021 while under the mentorship of Oliver Rowland, Formula E racer and 2025 champion. 2021 is also when he signed onto the Redbull Junior Team, at just 13 years old.

Lindblad’s transition to single seaters was impressive. During his debut season in single seaters, Lindblad raced in multiple F4 series. He competed in Italy, the UAE, and in Euro 4, where he challenged for the title for all three. He ended the season with a big win at the Macau F4 race.

He took another big leap in 2024 when he joined FIA Formula 3 with PREMA Racing. It was a hasty promotion, but it was justified by his record breaking performance. He became the youngest winner in F3 history with his win at the Bahrain sprint race. Just a few races later at Silverstone, Lindblad swept the whole weekend, which no F3 driver had done before. He finished this impressive season in fourth and was one of the standout drivers of the season.

Lindblad’s fast progression continued into the 2025 season where he moved up to F2, the final stop for young drivers to prove they deserve a spot in F1. During the season he continued to show his adaptability, but it wasn't as smooth sailing as some of his past seasons had been.

Lindblad started the season as a title contender with consistent points and wins in the Jeddah sprint and the Barcelona feature race, as well as a late season win during the Abu Dhabi sprint race. His fall off as a title contender came from his lack of podiums from his win in Barcelona to his win in Abu Dhabi, with the exception of a podium in Monza. Lindblad finished the season in sixth place, but finished knowing his chances would continue in F1 the following year.

What to do next is a question that is always on Redbull’s mind, so in June 2025 they made sure he was granted a special dispensation FIA super licence at 17 years old, much like Kimi Antonelli was granted the year prior. He participated in F1 tests earlier in the year and in Free Practice One sessions at Silverstone and in Mexico, where he finished a notable sixth place, higher than any of the other nine rookies also participating.

The VCARB seat is basically an audition for drivers to get to Redbull in the future. Lindblad being promoted means they see potential for him as a candidate for the Redbull seat as Verstappen’s partner or maybe his successor.

This step up is drastic, even in comparison to steps he has taken in the past, but Redbull would not promote someone without believing they are capable, though this does mean Lindblad will be under a lot of pressure both from his team, but also from viewers. VCARB and Redbull are hoping that between Lawson and Lindblad that they have a promising future.