Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad has taken one step closer to Formula 1 after clinching the Formula Regional Oceania title.
Lindblad, just 17, has been rising quickly through the junior single-seater ranks and racking up crucial FIA Super Licence points along the way.
A 2023 campaign split across F4 UAE, Italy, and Europe scored him 15 points toward his Super Licence after finishing fifth, fourth, and third in each series.
The young Briton then added another 15 points after finishing fourth in his rookie FIA Formula 3 campaign in 2024.
Red Bull admires Lindblad a great deal as he’s been promoted to Formula 2 in 2025 with Campos amid title-winning aspirations.
Ahead of making his bow in the last rung on the ladder towards F1, Red Bull shipped Lindblad across the world to contest the Formula Regional Oceania series, where 18 Super Licence points were on offer to the eventual champion.
Lindblad took unfamiliar circuits, opponents and machinery with ease, winning seven races across the first four rounds to hand him the chance to secure the title in the opening of three races at the season-ending Highlands Motorsport Park event.
After finishing second, Lindblad wrapped up the title with two races to spare, and his Super Licence points have passed the required threshold of 40 points to participate in F1 sessions.
Still, given Lindblad is only 17, he will require special dispensation from the FIA to get a Super Licence as his 18th birthday isn’t until August 18.
Given the young starlet’s prowess, and the precedent set by Mercedes youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli last year.
Red Bull has big plans for highly-rated Lindblad
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner speaks highly of Lindblad, who could very well find his way onto the 2026 F1 grid if the stars align.
Speaking in Mexico City Horner hailed Lindblad as “Definitely a talent for the future. I think that he’s got the right attitude. He’s got the right approach and determination.”
Helmut Marko, who is largely responsible for scouting and nurturing Red Bull’s junior talent has set Lindblad the target of winning the F2 championship and wishes to present the teenager with a suitable TPC [Testing of Previous Car] programme to prepare him for F1.
Speaking on the Inside Line F1 podcast, Marko said: “We want him to win or to be one of the top players in the [F2] championship.”
Regarding TPC F1 testing, Marko acknowledged “Yes, it’s a plan.
“The number isn’t yet decided, but it will be several tests,” the Austrian added.
“And 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,” he said.
“And we want… For example, [Liam] 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 – How Max Verstappen is ‘inspiring’ Red Bull F1 prospect Arvid Lindblad
Discussion about this post