New Red Bull F1 star braced for 'difficult' 2026 season

The 20th Red Bull junior to complete the journey to F1 has admitted he is braced for a 'difficult' rookie season ahead of the 2026 championship.

Arvid Lindblad caught the attention of Red Bull at the age of 13, joining their esteemed development programme that also helped fast-track Max Verstappen into F1.

Lindblad has had quite the trajectory on the path to F1 himself, having only started competing in single-seaters in 2022.

Since then, the British-Swedish driver has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the feeder series', spending just a single year in F4, Italian F4, F3 and F2, something which could be a trick up his sleeve as he attempts to adapt to F1 in 2026.

But unlike his future rivals Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Charles Leclerc, Lindblad did not win the F2 title, and still has a lot to prove ahead of his maiden season in F1.

Lindblad: 'I shouldn't be naive'

Ahead of his rookie season in the sport, Lindblad told F1.com: "The advice [has been that] things are going to be difficult."

"I shouldn't be naive. I'm very aware of the fact that it will be a big challenge. It will be a really big step up."

Despite being the only rookie to join the grid this year, there are also plenty of factors which could work in Lindblad's favour in 2026. New regulations mean every driver on the grid will have to grapple with relearning the quirks of their machinery and unlike previous years where there has only been one stint of pre-season testing, Lindblad's rookie campaign will be preceded by three.

Later this month, the 2026 cars will hit the track for the first time since the regulations overhaul, with pre-season testing kicking off behind closed doors at the Circuit de Barcelona between January 26 and January 30.

The second test will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit between February 11 and February 13, before the third round of testing will commence in Bahrain from February 18 until February 20.

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix weekend will then get underway on March 6, where Lindblad will line up for the first time as a Racing Bulls F1 driver.

At just 18 years old, Lindblad could be the future of Red Bull, but he will have to prove himself at the junior team first, something which the Brit knows will require dedication.

"There's a lot of work I have to do over the next coming months prior to Barcelona," he continued.

"But even then, during all the tests, during the first part of the season, there's going to be a lot of things for me to be learning up to speed on. Even also on the team side, there will be that as well, because it's going to be so much that is new. We're all going to have to learn and develop together.

"It's just about being open-minded. It's nothing I already don't know that I need to just work hard and keep focused on myself," Lindblad concluded.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen's boss admits Red Bull already behind rivals for 2026

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