Teen star driver makes brutal admission about F1 dreams

British teenage sensation Arvid Lindblad is gunning for a spot on the Formula 1 grid – but has admitted that he has a small window to get into the sport.

The 16-year-old, who joined the Red Bull junior driver programme at aged 13, only graduated from karting a mere 18 months ago.

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In 2023, Lindblad made the step up to Formula 4 and finished fifth in the UAE championship with Hitech and third in the Italian F4 championship with Prema.

The Brit has made another step up this season to FIA Formula 3 championship, remaining with Prema, following in the footsteps of 1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve and current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc in racing for the Italian team that are renowned for developing top drivers.

Lindblad: I only have two or three years to make it to F1

Lindblad has had an incredible start to his F3 campaign, winning the opening sprint race of the season in Bahrain and finishing second in the next sprint race in Australia.

His ultimate goal is to emulate what fellow Brits Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have achieved in winning the F1 world championship and has already seen another teenage talent in Oliver Bearman make his F1 debut this season with Ferrari, and he knows that this is a golden opportunity for him to achieve his dream.

But speaking with Game Changers for BBC Local Radio, Lindblad admitted that he only has a couple years to make it to the pinnacle of motorsport.

“I’d say I have two or three years now to make it and that’s my window – if I don’t make it now I won’t get another opportunity in Formula 1,” he said.

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“All I’m thinking about at the moment is Formula 1 and wanting to be a world champion.”

Lindblad finished eighth and 11th in the two features races in Bahrain and Melbourne respectively and had never been to or even seen the circuits before going into the race weekends.

“It’s definitely a very big jump coming from F4, the level’s super high,” he continued.

“I’m racing against drivers who are quite a lot older and have more experience. In the sessions we get pushed into the F1 pit lane, so we’re in the car sitting there in front of McLaren or Alpine, so it’s a realisation for me that it’s closer than it’s ever been for me.”

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