British teenager Arvid Lindblad to join Visa Cash App Racing Bulls for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Alongside Kiwi driver Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad has been confirmed for his debut season completing VCARB’s youngest ever driver line up.
The 18-year old Campos Racing Formula 2 driver, has become the latest graduate of the Red Bull junior driver development programme, with Lindblad having seemingly having predicted his own arrival to the F1 grid.
In 2021 during a karting meet organised by, Lando Norris the then 13 year old told the McLaren number 4 “Lando I want you to remember me, I will see you in five years”.
Lindblad has been under the guidance of reigning Formula E champion Oliver Rowland, since his karting team began nurturing the London-born driver from a young age.
Red Bull signed him at the end of 2020 and two years later, at 15 years old he was already racing in Formula 4 cars. During his first full maiden season in Italian F4 he finished 3rd in the overall championship standings in 2023.
Following his early success, including winning the 2023 Macau F4 World Cup Race, he stepped up to join Prema’s Formula 3 team for the 2024 campaign alongside Dino Beganovic and Gabriele Minì. An impressive four victories and the record of being the youngest winner in the championship’s history – when he won the Bahrain sprint race – saw Campos Racing sign him for this years Formula 2 World Championship, where with one round still to go he sits 6th.
In 2025, two months before his 18th birthday, the teen protégé was granted special dispensation for his super licence, meaning he could legally race in F1. His win in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship at the start of this year gave him the final points he would need. The exemption was granted in line with the FIA governing bodies guidelines: “recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition”.
Although, it seems as though this move to the Red Bull sister team has been on the horizon since 2024, when he began working on a programme getting him ready for a 2026 debut.
This year alone, Lindblad has been no stranger to the F1 car, having completed two private tests in Imola in the 2023 Alpha Tauri before making a free practice one debut appearance in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull at his home Grand Prix in July. He made an return for further session in Mexico in October. Despite it being his second FP1 session in the RB17 hypercar, he was able to set a faster time than Yuki Tsunoda who drove an identical car.
The opportunity for Lindblad to finally become a F1 driver comes following Frenchman Isack Hadjar’s swift promotion to the second seat alongside Max Verstappen, in the team that has crowned eight F1 world champions. Despite a rocky start to his season, with a spin in the wet formation lap in Melbourne, Hadjar has gone on to have an outstanding rookie season including a third place podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix back in August.
The reshuffle of the team see’s current Red Bull driver, number 22 Yuki Tsunoda, losing his seat on the gird after five seasons with the team. However for the 2026 season he will take on test and reserve driver duties.
With new technical regulations, the retirement of the ‘Drag Reduction System’ and Cadillac becoming the 11th team to join the grid, the 2026 season is going be one of the most significant in recent years. Lindblad will be the only rookie for next season and joins Liam Lawson as he will start his second full campaign.
For Lindblad his bold prediction in 2021 is now set to become a reality in 2026.
*Featured image: Getty Images
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