Red Bull’s talent mill is humming again, and Arvid Lindblad is the name causing the noise. The 18-year-old Brit has been fast-tracked through the ladder and is already getting serious looks for a 2026 seat — or even earlier with Racing Bulls. But not everyone’s sold on the timing.
Lindblad’s rookie Formula 2 campaign with Campos has been sharp enough to turn heads, if not yet decisive. Two wins, three podiums, and seventh in the standings on 92 points leave him 62 adrift of leader Leonardo Fornaroli with four rounds to run. It’s promising, not dominant.
What accelerated the conversation was Silverstone. Lindblad stepped into Red Bull’s RB21 for a young driver run at the British Grand Prix and didn’t look out of his depth. He logged 22 laps, a 1:27.958 best, and sat P14 on the FP timesheets — enough for Helmut Marko to go public with praise. “His speed was right, his statements were profound, and the technicians are very happy with his performance,” Marko told Speedweek. A follow-up Testing of Previous Cars day at the same circuit, with more than 100 laps under his belt, only strengthened the impression. “Excellent physical condition and competitive lap times,” Marko added.
The pathway being floated is classic Red Bull: Isack Hadjar steps up to the senior team, Lindblad slides into Racing Bulls. Clean on paper, politically messy in practice.
Juan Pablo Montoya — who’s been watching closely as his son Sebastián races Lindblad in F2 — isn’t convinced the teenager’s ready now, and warns the window might not stay open. “If Lindblad, who I personally think is not ready, but if Racing Bulls want Lindblad next year, who do you take out? Yuki or Lawson?” he told AS Colombia. “They would have to take out Yuki, you have to put Hadjar in the Red Bull and Lindblad in the RB. And especially because if Red Bull does not do well next year and there are staff changes in Red Bull, the opportunity of Lindblad entering Formula 1 would get complicated.”
That last point matters. Red Bull has already made one seismic change this year, parting ways with Christian Horner as team boss and CEO. Laurent Mekies stepped in, though not with Horner’s sweeping authority, while Marko — a clear Lindblad backer — has tightened his grip and is under contract through the end of 2026. With only one 2026 Red Bull seat confirmed, the musical chairs could get fierce.
So Lindblad sits at the familiar Red Bull crossroads: push him now and risk burn, or wait and risk the door slamming shut. His final four F2 rounds may end up deciding it for them. Red Bull likes momentum — and it rarely waits.
