Greater Noida: Arvid Lindblad chuckled at the mention of his Indian heritage. This was understandable because the topic regularly comes up for discussion, especially now that the Briton has been announced as Racing Bulls’ new driver for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Lindblad’s maternal grandparents moved to Britain “around 50 years ago,” and his mother, Anita, was born and raised in England. The 18-year-old has been visiting India for the last few years, coming here with his family, tracing his origins.
“I’ve really enjoyed when I’ve come to India over the past couple of years to explore that side of my heritage and background. My grandparents are from Punjab and I’ve been brought up with many Indian traditions and general culture, eating Indian food, celebrating pujas, and all these kind of things from an early age,” Lindblad said on Sunday.
“It’s always been very exciting whenever I’ve come to India, just to see how similar my upbringing was. I’m very proud of my roots. I’ll be bringing a bit of India back to the F1 grid.”
Lindblad climbed up the junior ranks very quickly. Rated highly in the paddock, he regularly won championships at the karting level before getting elevated to single seaters. His talent was noticed early when the Red Bull junior programme inducted him in 2021; the programme has produced four-time world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
After winning races in multiple Formula 4 categories, Lindblad finished a competitive fourth in the 2024 Formula 3 season before ending sixth in last season’s Formula 2 championship where he won three races Jeddah, Barcelona and Abu Dhabi.
When Isack Hadjar was promoted from Racing Bulls to Red Bull for this season, it was a no-brainer for Red Bull to put Lindblad into the vacant seat. When he takes the grid in Melbourne on March 8, Lindblad will become the fourth youngest driver to race in F1. If that wasn’t enough pressure, he will also be the only debutant on the 2026 grid. But the teenager is not flustered.
“Not really (feeling pressure). I’m looking forward to the year. I’ve been working my whole life to get to Formula 1. That was always my dream. The fact that it’s coming true is very exciting. The fact that I’m the only rookie is not something I pay much attention to. That’s not going to make me go any faster or slower. I just focus on the driving,” said Lindblad, whose father Stefan is Swedish.
“About expectations, it’s hard to say now. I’m very focused and working hard with the team, trying to learn as much as I can in the first part of the year like preparing as best I can on track, at the simulator. We’ll see after the first few races.”
Lindblad will be racing with two of the greatest drivers in history this season — seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen, who is part of the Red Bull family.
Asked if he has been able to interact with the two greats, Lindblad expressed that he idolised Hamilton while growing up but hasn’t been able to interact with his compatriot much apart from the one time last year when he “played Uno with him” which was “quite a cool moment”.
But the Racing Bulls driver divulged that he shares a very friendly relationship with Verstappen and how the four-time world champion has helped the Briton in understanding the nuances of driving at the top level.
“I’ve known Max for a few years. Whenever I’ve wanted a bit of advice, he’s always been very willing to help out. And not just saying a short answer, (but) really going into details to actually help. That’s very nice of him. It’s also impressive to see someone who’s achieved so much is still so humble and kind, willing to help out,” said Lindblad, who took part in the Red Bull Moto Jam here.
“Max, as everyone knows, is extremely impressive. The level he’s performing at, at the moment, makes him arguably the best we’ve ever seen in Formula 1. What he’s able to do week in, week out is extremely impressive and there’s a lot I can learn from him.”
