Arvid Lindblad receives clear Helmut Marko feedback after Red Bull F1 debut

Helmut Marko has shared his thoughts on how Arvid Lindblad fared during his first F1 weekend appearance at Silverstone.

Not long after being granted a dispensation for his FIA Super Licence, Lindblad was behind the wheel of the Red Bull RB21 for first practice at the British Grand Prix.

Helmut Marko: Arvid Lindblad did a great job

17-year-old Lindblad, who is racing this year in Formula 2, was recently given dispensation to be granted his FIA Super Licence before his 18th birthday.

While Super Licence rules demand drivers must be 18 to be given the document necessary to drive in an F1 weekend, Lindblad’s accumulation of the mandatory 40 points required meant Red Bull could make use of the dispensation rule introduced last year, earning the British-Swedish driver the licence.

Lindblad was then given the FP1 outing at Silverstone, ticking off another rookie outing for the Milton Keynes-based squad as all teams are required to field a junior driver across four such sessions during the year.

Logging 22 laps en route to a best time of 1:27.958, Lindblad finished in 14th place overall, and his appearance duly impressed Red Bull director Helmut Marko.

“Formula 2 driver Arvid Lindblad drove for Red Bull Racing for the first time in free practice at Silverstone, and we think the teenager did a great job,” Marko wrote in his column for Speedweek after the weekend.

The Austrian has long made his admiration of Lindblad clear, with the young driver touted as the next superstar of the Red Bull junior programme.

“His speed was right, his statements were profound, and the technicians are very happy with his performance,” Marko said, before revealing Lindblad’s performance in a mid-week Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) outing at Silverstone had also been noteworthy.

“Lindblad was back in the car the week after the British GP and completed more than 100 laps, showing excellent physical condition and competitive lap times,” he said.

Lindblad’s busy schedule could also be regarded as preparation for a possible emergency substitution before year-end, should Max Verstappen pick up a race ban.

While the threat has eased somewhat now that his penalty points tally has dropped to nine, Verstappen must make it to the Mexico City Grand Prix without accumulating a further three penalty points or he’ll trigger an automatic race ban.

Who will race for Red Bull in F1 2026?

? F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2025 grid?

? F1 2026 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2026 grid?

As for Lindblad, who raced to ninth and eighth places, respectively, across the Sprint and feature races of the Formula 2 weekend, the British-Swedish driver said he had felt at ease behind the wheel.

“It was amazing today, I am extremely grateful to Red Bull for the opportunity, and it was incredible to get my first official F1 session,” he said.

“I felt comfortable in the car, and I think the speed was ok, but I think I could go quicker with a few more laps!

“Considering it was my first time in this car and I have only done very limited running in an F1 car, I think it was a successful session.

“This weekend, F1 is about 13 or 14 seconds quicker than F2, so the step is enormous, but I am quite happy with the job I did today.”

Lindblad is a near-certainty to land any vacant seat that may come up across the four Red Bull F1 seats in 2026, with none of the cockpits currently definite. Max Verstappen has a contract through until F1 2028, but the four-time F1 World Champion has been the subject of intense speculation that he will leave for a fresh challenge elsewhere; speculation that he has not entirely shut down.

Yuki Tsunoda’s seat is understood to be at risk, as the Japanese driver has struggled for form since stepping up to the senior team for Racing Bulls, with the likely scenario being a step forward for Isack Hadjar after a strong start to his F1 career.

Hadjar’s promotion would thus leave a seat open at Racing Bulls, giving Lindblad an opportunity to step into the breach, with Liam Lawson likely to be kept on for another year.

“Red Bull Racing has been really supportive, and I have been working closely with the engineers for a little while now, getting up to speed and understanding the game and level here in F1,” Lindblad said.

“After the session was done, I really wanted to get another go straight away! Basically, no one else in the world has the opportunity I got today to drive an F1 car.

“I am just fully focused on working hard and doing a good job in F2 to be a full-time F1 driver soon.”

Read Next: Alpine candidate reveals ‘simple goal’ as Franco Colapinto pressure mounts