Who is Arvid Lindblad? Red Bull star who left Yuki Tsunoda out of an F1 seat

Red Bull

Who is Arvid Lindblad? Red Bull star who left Yuki Tsunoda out of an F1 seat

Lindblad will make the step up to F1 full-time in 2026.

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 5 December 2025 09:58 Updated: 10:53

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If you are tuning in to the final race weekend of the 2025 F1 season then you may be wondering, 'who is Arvid Lindblad?'

Not only is the Red Bull junior driver replacing Yuki Tsunoda in FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but it could also be argued that he is the reason the Japanese racer has been left without a full-time F1 seat for 2026.

Now, let's be fair, it's not actually Lindblad who took Tsunoda's seat- that was Isack Hadjar. Ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP, F1's worst kept secret was confirmed and Hadjar's promotion was announced, along with the news that Lindblad would be making the step up to F1 with Racing Bulls.

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With such a strong junior talent waiting in the wings in the form of Lindblad, it could be argued that Red Bull didn't see the benefit of demoting Tsunoda back down to Racing Bulls for next season, instead wanting to gamble on a new young talent.

After all, the junior Red Bull F1 squad is designed to prepare drivers for the main team, and Tsunoda has had his chance to race alongside Max Verstappen.

So why is Lindblad stepping in for Tsunoda in FP1 on Friday and what credentials does he have to his name that have got the energy drink giants so excited about his future?

Lindblad: The next Verstappen?

Lindblad has already made his F1 session debut having driven the RB21 in FP1 at Silverstone earlier this year.

He also impressed by beating Tsunoda in the same machinery during the first practice session at the Mexican GP back in October, and who knows, perhaps that was what sealed the deal for his promotion up to F1.

But Lindblad is once again taking to the cockpit of an F1 car in Abu Dhabi in order for Red Bull to meet their rookie driver quota, which requires all teams to field a rookie in both cars at least twice throughout the 2025 season.

The 18-year-old has Indian roots on his mother's side and holds British-Swedish nationality, meaning he will become the fifth British driver on the F1 grid in 2026.

In the past he has been compared to four-time champion Max Verstappen, and his true racing hero is fellow countryman Lewis Hamilton, despite the fact that he was only born the same year that Hamilton took part in his maiden F1 season!

But the Verstappen comparisons are not to be laughed at and Lindblad has worked hard to earn his full-time F1 seat.

Lindblad joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2021 whilst karting, but his junior career really took off in 2024 when he became the youngest winner in F3 history at just 16 years old during his rookie season in the series.

He then made history again in front of his home crowd at Silverstone during the 2024 British GP weekend where he achieved the first-ever double F3 victory, winning both the sprint and feature race.

Lindblad went on to also break the record for the youngest F2 race winner earlier this year, during his rookie campaign in the feeder series which will be wrapped up this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

He currently sits sixth in the drivers' standings and though his meteoric rise through the junior categories has obviously impressed Red Bull, the ultimate test will come next season when he steps up to Racing Bulls.

And remember, a move up to the main team is never far around the corner if Red Bull's previous track record is anything to go by.