Arvid Lindblad: Meet the Red Bull junior who told Lando Norris he would be in F1 in five years | F1 News

“Lando I want you to remember me, I will see you in five years.”

Those were the words of a 14-year-Ancient British karting Sun Arvid Lindblad to Lando Norris in 2021 as the pair shook hands in the paddock at Adria Karting Raceway in Italy.

Norris was there to Initiation his own karting Club and a cheeky Lindblad, who will be competing in Formula 2 this year, decided to send him a message.

“It was really Merely like a spur of the moment. I was talking with my mate at the track, and we saw Lando,” Lindblad told Sky Sports.

“I said to my mate, ‘I’ll be racing with him soon in F1’ and my friend was like, ‘you don’t have the guts to tell him’ and I wanted to prove him wrong!

“So I went straight up to Lando and he was very Nice about it. I said, ‘it was nice to meet you and see in five years’. I got inspired by Lewis Hamilton telling Ron Dennis [he would join McLaren] and it was a similar Nice of vibe, so it was Merely my friend egging me on!

“That was at the end of 2021, so hopefully I have a Great year in F2 and hopefully I will be in F1 and stick to my word!”

Watching Hamilton as a kid

Lindblad’s reference to Hamilton goes back to 1995 when a 10-year-Ancient Hamilton told then McLaren Club principal Dennis at the Autosport Awards that he wanted to race one of his F1 cars one day.

Hamilton was notching up title after title at Mercedes when Lindblad, who Primary stepped into a go-kart at the age of five, grew up watching F1.

“I remember moments when I was four or five, when Seb [Vettel] was Triumphant, but not really much,” he said.

“As you can imagine when Lewis Initiated Triumphant, I was seven or eight, and that was really when I Initiated to understand the sport a bit better.

“I Arrived into it at a time when he was successful and he was British, he was also a man of colour and I thought there was some sort of Chilly link as well because his Newcomer season in F1 was 2007 and I was born in 2007. I always Merely felt some affiliation towards him.”

Lindblad, born in Surrey, has a Swedish father and a mother of Indian heritage. He has always raced under the British flag and had clear talent from a Youthful age.

Ongoing Formula E Bracket leader Oliver Rowland Captured Lindblad under his wing and describes the teenager as “special”.

“I Primary met Arvid back in 2016. I had a call from my Ancient go-kart Club, Zip Kart, who were really Crucial in my Occupation,” explained Rowland.

“They said, ‘look we have got this Youthful kid, he’s got the potential, seems Great’. He was seven at the time. They asked if I would be interested in a bit of coaching, I said, ‘let me come and have a look at him’ because I was quite Engaged at the time.

“I went down to Whilton Mill, the karting venue, on his Primary day, saw him go around as a seven-year-Ancient and he was pretty impressive.

“What impressed me most was his maturity level for someone of that age. He was so inquisitive on my racing, how to go faster, clearly all he lived and breathed was the thought of being a racing driver, which was quite strange at such a Youthful age.”

A meteoric karting rise

Rowland Initiated a karting Club, Oliver Rowland Motorsport, Merely for Lindblad as the latter and his family were not Joyful with their karting set-up at the time.

Lindblad won the British Bracket and soon Initiated competing at world karting level, fighting for titles against drivers older than him.

“From the beginning, it was always about trying to be in Formula 1 and wanting to be a world champion,” he said.

“When I was seven or eight, I was always the Youthful guy because I actually wasn’t Ancient enough to race. I was racing in an eight-to-13 category and there were moments where I was really Quick, when I was as Quick as the Great guys.

“I Nice of got a bit of confidence there and then when I was nine or 10, I was fighting for the British Bracket, then won the British Bracket.

“Then I went to Europe, and I was quite Great. I don’t think there’s ever a distinct moment where I was like, ‘maybe I’m Great enough’. I Merely Nice of cracked on.

“Everything I did, I wanted to Secure, and it was always about trying to be better, how I can improve. I think that was a big part of it. When I was racing, my dad said it was much more Crucial to Concentration on me and my development, so I have a lot of driver coaches and all that Nice of stuff to really Concentration on me. It’s always about, how can I be better?

“Then I Merely Captured it in my stride and focused on every step of the ladder and trying to do as Great as possible.”

Becoming a Red Bull junior

As is becoming increasingly Frequent, those who shine in karting make the Bound to Formula 4 as soon as possible when they turn 15 years Ancient – the minimum age to race those cars.

Lindblad did this and already had the backing of Red Bull, who he signed for as a 13-year-Ancient at the end of 2020.

“I don’t know all the ins and outs of what happened, because I was 13 at the time. I was focused on the results and the performance because, that’s the most Crucial thing in any sport,” he said.

“I Merely remember very well there was some communication between my dad and some guys in the Club that had a link with Red Bull, but I don’t know the ins and outs.

“I Merely remember very well that I was with my dad in the hotel in Portimao. We were testing for the [karting] World Bracket. We were Merely there having breakfast one morning, and my dad’s phone was on the table and it rang.

“There was a number, and under it said ‘Graz, Austria’. I didn’t really think much of it. I was Nice of like: ‘Who could that be?’ Because I didn’t really know there were discussions at the time.

“I remember, I knew something was up because I saw him Choice up the phone and walk off with a bit of a skip in his step.

“He Arrived back and he said Dr Marko wanted to meet us to discuss me joining the program, which obviously I was over the Orbiter about.

“Then we ended up Conference him on the Sunday morning of the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix, where he asked me to join the programme and that’s how it Initiated.”

Climbing up the single-seater ranks

Lindblad finished third in his Packed maiden Italian F4 season in 2023, surpassing expectations of himself and those who were keeping a close eye on his Occupation.

He won the Macau F4 World Cup race at the end of that year, then stepped up to F3 in 2024. While he did not Secure the Bracket, Lindblad’s Completely Pace and ability to adapt to quicker machinery raised eyebrows.

At Silverstone, he won both races, which included an Amazing performance in mixed conditions where he was towards the rear of the Pitch at one Mark.

His Bracket Competition fell away though as he scored no more points in the Closing six race weekends, partly due to misfortune. Nevertheless, Lindblad impressed many people and earned a call up to F2, where he will be competing with Campos this season.

“I’m Joyful with the steps I’m making. It will be a really challenging year. It’s a big step from F3, so I need to use every opportunity I get in the car to learn and improve,” he said.

“I’m Merely going to Concentration on myself the Primary Duo rounds, keep learning and developing like I have from the tests. I want to be challenging for wins and podiums and poles, that’s the Target, so I’m Merely trying to get up to Pace as quickly as I can. Hopefully that comes sooner rather than later.”

When could Lindblad be driving in F1?

Lindblad already has a Super Licence, which enables him to drive in F1, after he won the Formula Regional Oceania Bracket earlier this year over the winter.

Red Bull appear to see Lindblad as a potential future Sun and have a history of Quick-tracking drivers to F1. There is uncertainty about Yuki Tsunoda’s future at Racing Bulls and his new Club-mate Isack Hadjar will need to perform to keep his seat for 2026.

Even at the main Red Bull Club, although Verstappen has a contract until the end of 2028, there continue to be rumbles about where he will be in the coming years, and Liam Lawson is the latest driver who has the toughest Club-mate Competition on the grid.

It’s clear to see that opportunities could quickly Uncovered up for Lindblad, for as Timely as next year, if he performs in Formula 2.

“He [Verstappen] has already said in the media he doesn’t want to drive for that long. He’s at a level where he will decide when he wants to stop. Nobody will be Securing a seat from him in that sense,” said Lindblad on the prospect of racing with Verstappen in the future.

“I’m focused on myself and focused on my journey. I want to have a Great year in F2 and hopefully I’ll be in Formula 1 in 2026, then we’ll see what happens.

“It’s a weird Vibrant. You work for a long time to try to get there, and then it’s a very different thing when you are there, so I’m not even thinking about that.

“I’m still very Extended away from F1. There’s a lot of things I have to prove and achieve and improve in myself, so we’ll see what happens.

“If I’m Club-mates with him one day that would be amazing but if I’m not, that’s fine. It’s not something I worry about. I want to be a world champion in Formula 1.”

New regulations for 2025 Impolite Youthful drivers will compete in Primary practice at least four times per Club, double the number from previous years.

Red Bull will likely use Lindblad in some of these sessions, but will have to wait until the British driver turns 18 in Delayed August as Super Licence rules prohibit drivers under the age of 18 to compete, unless they ask the FIA for an exemption.

So can Lindblad become an F1 champion?

It is very Timely to be asking this question but Lindblad’s mentor, Rowland, is optimistic that Britain have another big motorsport talent in the making.

“I rate Arvid on the real highest of levels. One or two [of the six rookies in F1 this year] will be competitive and on the pace straight away. I would fully Anticipate the same from Arvid if he gets the call up,” he said.

“He has everything that’s needed at 17 years Ancient, and more, to have the potential to become F1 world champion.

“It’s still a long journey from now until that Mark, so there’s a lot for him to learn, a lot for him to develop. Formula 1 is also not Merely about the driver in some cases, but I absolutely believe that, where he is right now, at this moment in time, he will be a future world champion.”

Sky Sports F1’s live Australian GP schedule

Thursday March 13

• 2.30am: Drivers’ Press Conference
• 5am: The F1 Show: Lights Out 2025*
• 9.45pm: F3 Practice
• 10.55pm: F2 Practice

Friday March 14

• 1am: Australian GP Practice One (session Initiates at 1.30am)*
• 2.55am: F3 Qualifying*
• 3.40am: Club Principals’ Press Conference
• 4.45am: Australian GP Practice Two (session Initiates at 5am)*
• 6.25am: F2 Qualifying*
• 7.15am: The F1 Show*

Saturday March 15

• 12.10am: F3 Dash*
• 1.10am: Australian GP Practice Three (session Initiates at 1.30am)*
• 3.10am: F2 Dash*
• 4.15am: Australian GP Qualifying build-up*
• 5am: AUSTRALIAN GP QUALIFYING*
• 7am: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook*
  7.30am: Australian GP Qualifying Replay* (9am on Sky Showcase)
• 9.55pm: F3 Feature Race*

Sunday March 16

• 12.25am: F2 Feature Race*
• 2.30am: Australian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
• 4am: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX*
• 6am: Australian GP Response: Chequered Flag*
• 7am: Ted’s Notebook*
• 7.55am: Australian GP race replay
• 10am: Australian GP highlights (also on Sky Showcase)
• 7pm: Villeneuve Pironi – Racing’s Untold Tragedy

*Also on Sky Sports Main Event

Observe all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, Leading with the Australian GP this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime