Red Bull’s next big F1 hope comes with an Indian connect

Red Bull junior programme nurtures talent, with Arvid Lindblad poised to follow Vettel and Verstappen's footsteps in F2.

The Red Bull junior programme is one of the most coveted and prolific in Formula One. The team has helped numerous promising talents step into F1 and unearthed two world champions, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, the reigning four-time champion.

According to Dr Helmut Marko, who leads the junior programme, his squad believes it might have unearthed their next talent, who can follow in the footsteps of Vettel and Verstappen, and it is someone who has an Indian heritage.

Britain’s Arvid Lindblad, whose mother is of Indian origin, has quietly made a strong mark in the junior formula and will debut in F2 this year with Campos Racing.

Having spent just a year in F4, the 17-year-old finished fourth in the FIA Formula 3 championship and had the most wins (four).

Though the racing genes come from his Swedish father, Stefan, the youngster added that he is familiar with Indian culture thanks to spending a lot of time with his maternal grandparents. “I have been exposed to Indian culture from a young age, celebrating festivals like Diwali and going to the Gurudwara and temples. I am very excited to be here in India and experience it fully and properly,” said Lindblad, who is here for the first time with his family.

An impressive part of his rookie campaign in F3 was his raw speed and race craft, which saw him charge through the field a few times. Stepping into F2, Lindblad knows it will be a bigger challenge but says he can take the confidence of F3 into next year. “In F2, the tyres and car are very different, and the driving style with pit stops is different as well. There’s some stuff I can translate from this year in F3, but there’s also a lot of new skills I have to learn and work on.”

Growing up, Lindblad’s favourite driver was Lewis Hamilton and said the latter’s advocacy for greater inclusion in the sport was inspirational.