Red Bull F1 chief Helmut Marko confirms new driver debut at Silverstone

Red Bull

Red Bull chief confirms new driver debut at Silverstone

Red Bull's driver academy prepares young stars for a future in F1

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 2 July 2025 12:41 Updated: 16:56

Red Bull's advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed an F1 driver swap for FP1 at this weekend's British Grand Prix.

The 82-year-old holds a pivotal role within the Milton Keynes outfit, nurturing the next big talents in racing in the hope of keeping Red Bull's future in the sport looking bright.

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The very brightest of Red Bull's junior drivers is F2 star Arvid Lindblad, who competes for Campos Racing in the feeder series but is backed by Red Bull.

Having been recently awarded his FIA Super Licence, the qualification that allows drivers to take part in an F1 race weekend, Lindblad will now make his public debut in the RB21 at Silverstone this Friday, replacing Yuki Tsunoda for FP1.

Speaking to Austrian publication Kleine Zeitung, Marko revealed: "He spent half a day in the car in Italy to prepare him.

"And he will also be in the car for Friday practice at Silverstone. He is characterised by his mental strength and self-confidence."

Arvid Lindblad will make his F1 debut in FP1 at Silverstone this weekend

Are Red Bull prepping Lindblad for an F1 promotion?

Briton Lindblad, who is of Swedish and Indian descent, took the wheel of Racing Bulls’ 2023 AT04 last week, splitting TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] duties with fellow Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix venue.

Following the tests, Lindblad will now take part in FP1 at this week's British Grand Prix, with his F1 debut filling one of Red Bull's mandatory rookie sessions.

Previously, teams had to field a rookie in each of their cars at least once during practice sessions throughout a season, but that has increased to twice per car for 2025.

Marko initially cited Red Bull's concerns over a potential race ban for Verstappen as the reason for Lindblad's debut, but now that two of the Dutchman's penalty points have expired, his team have a bit of breathing room to prepare Lindblad for F1 reserve duties.

Reflecting on the need to get Lindblad up to speed as soon as possible, Marko said: "We currently have two replacement drivers: Lindblad and Ayumu Iwasa, whose Formula 1 commitments overlap with his commitments in Japan.

"For some races we even had a deal with another team, and once a substitute driver was even scheduled for three teams.

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

See you at Silverstone, Arvid 👋

The Red Bull Junior Team driver will be at the wheel of Yuki's car for First Practice, this weekend 🇬🇧#F1 || #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/zCWq52sQl5
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 2, 2025

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Red Bull Helmut Marko Silverstone British Grand Prix Arvid Lindblad