Red Bull has requested special dispensation for the FIA to grant the team’s junior driver Arvid Lindblad a Super Licence, a requirement for a Formula 1 driver.
Lindblad, who has been part of the Milton Keynes-based squad’s junior programme since 2021, is currently third in the Formula 2 standings with Campos Racing, just eight points off the lead.
The young Brit saw his title credentials furthered after taking his second victory of the year last weekend, with first place in the Barcelona Feature.
At 17, Lindblad is currently ineligible for a superlicense, due to the FIA’s rules on under-18s being unable to obtain one, ironically a rule which came in after the team brought Max Verstappen to its satellite team Toro Rosso in 2015.
Lindblad meets the additional criteria for having a Super Licence, being that he has already acrewed the 40 points in FIA-backed competitions necessary to have one.
It was initially speculated that the team’s keenness to ensure Lindblad has a Super Licence was in relation to the precarious position that Verstappen finds himself in after the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Dutchman, as a result of his collision with George Russell towards the end of the race, is now on 11 penalty points, one away from a one race ban, and will carry this albatross around his neck until some of his points can be discounted after the Austrian Grand Prix.
Red Bull has since confirmed that the request has no connection to Verstappen’s position, and it is more likely that it has been made with the possibility that Lindblad may partake in an FP1 session as a rookie, like many of his tamporaries have done so in the past.
The team has had a series of young, up-and-coming talents take to the wheel of its cars through its junior drivers, with Verstappen having previously been an alumni from it.
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