Red Bull set for driver swap at upcoming race

Red Bull are gearing up to swap out one of their drivers for part of next month's F1 British Grand Prix.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit are currently spearheaded by four-time world champion Max Verstappen, with Yuki Tsunoda partnering the Dutchman having been promoted from sister team Racing Bulls earlier this season.

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But according to Helmut Marko, one of their stars will be sitting out of one practice session at the iconic Silverstone track in order to give one of their young prospects a chance to impress.

The Austrian was asked in an interview with Kleine Zeitung about whether 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad - who races for Red Bull's junior team in F2 - would soon be ready to make the step up to the top tier, and he was glowing in his praise of talented racer.

"He spent half a day in the car on Monday in Italy to prepare, and he'll also be in the car for Friday's practice at Silverstone," he said.

"He stands out for his mental strength and self-confidence; his Swedish-Indian mix is ​​clearly very good for motorsport."

Lindblad gets chance to impress at Silverstone

Despite much speculation over the future of both Verstappen and Tsunoda, Marko was quick to shut down any suggestion that a driver change was imminent.

"No," he continued. "We're preparing in case something really happens to Max Verstappen regarding his penalty points.

"We currently have two reserve drivers: Lindblad and Ayumu Iwasa, whose Formula 1 schedules clash with his appearances in Japan.

"We even had a deal with another team for some races; at one point, a reserve driver was even scheduled for three teams.

"It's not that easy to find someone who's in top shape. And that's why Lindblad is in the car now."

Lindblad is a two-time winner in F2, and has been tipped to be one of the sport's biggest stars ever since becoming part of the Red Bull family in 2021.

GPFans have contacted Red Bull for comment.

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