Arvid Lindblad has already learnt the sort of reflexes and car control most road drivers never come close to in a lifetime. He’s started grands prix, managed tyre phases, and handled the noise that comes with being fast-tracked into Formula 1 before turning 18.
What he hasn’t done, until this week, is learn how to drive on the road.
The Racing Bulls rookie revealed ahead of the post-Silverstone run to Spa-Francorchamps that he’s finally begun the process of getting a UK driving licence, admitting the novelty of being an F1 driver without one has worn thin.
“It’s a bit sad that I haven’t got my licence,” Lindblad said. “It was funny for a bit, and now it’s just getting a bit silly, so I’m working on it. I had my first driving lesson yesterday, so I need to get it soon.”
It’s an oddly modern bit of motorsport trivia: a driver trusted with a 200mph-plus hybrid F1 car, but still needing L-plates for a trip to the shops. In Lindblad’s case, the timeline isn’t hard to understand. He was eligible to earn a UK licence from 17, but his schedule has been anything but normal — a Formula 2 campaign stepping up last season, then an accelerated F1 promotion that required special FIA dispensation to grant him a Super Licence before his 18th birthday. The theory test has been ticked off; the practical side is now underway thanks to a rare gap in the calendar.
Lindblad’s update came in a slightly unexpected setting too, appearing in the commentary box on Sky Sports Cricket during the first England–India one-day international at Edgbaston. He also spent time around England’s players during their warm-up — a reminder of how quickly a young F1 driver becomes a familiar face beyond the paddock, whether he’s ready for it or not.
Asked whether his F1 credentials might earn him a licence on reputation alone, Lindblad could only laugh. “Yeah, unfortunately, that doesn’t work,” he said.
There’s a deeper point under the joke. The jump from junior categories to Formula 1 is huge on-track, but the bigger shock often comes off it: media commitments, partner appearances, sponsor obligations, and the odd cross-sport cameo, all layered on top of learning the engineering language and weekend rhythm at the sharp end of motorsport. The road licence is almost a symbol of that imbalance — a teenager with a career moving at warp speed, while everyday adulthood lags behind.
And in Lindblad’s case, the racing side is moving quickly enough.
He heads to Spa off the back of four consecutive points finishes, with seventh at the British Grand Prix matching the best result of his short F1 career so far. For a rookie in a midfield car, that kind of run tends to do two things: it buys time, and it changes expectations. The paddock stops talking about what you might be one day and starts watching what you can do now.
“It’s been so cool,” Lindblad said of his debut season. “It’s been very different from F2. It’s been a big step up, both on and off the track, but I’ve loved it.
“In the end, this was something I’ve been dreaming of my whole life, getting to Formula 1. So I’ve been really living my dream this year, and it’s been amazing.”
Spa will be another test of the whole package — not just speed, but how he reads weekends and manages momentum when the spotlight gets brighter. But for the moment, it’s hard not to smile at the contrast: one of the grid’s newest grand prix point-scorers still learning the basics of roundabouts and lane discipline.
If anything, Lindblad’s finally getting that licence feels like the most normal thing he’s done all season.
