Red Bull’s latest protégé steps up: Arvid Lindblad joins Racing Bulls for 2026
04 December 2025The final pieces of the 2026 Formula 1 puzzle have fallen into place, with the confirmation that Arvid Lindblad, the young British sensation from the Red Bull Junior Team, will join Racing Bulls as a full-time driver next season.
This signing marks a significant moment for F1 in the UK. With Lindblad joining Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Oliver Bearman, there will be five British drivers on the grid in 2026.
That makes next season the first time since 1996 that Formula 1 has fielded five full-time British drivers, and the first time five have started a race together since the 2002 Belgian Grand Prix.
A meteoric rise
For those who have followed Arvid’s trajectory, this promotion felt like an inevitability. His rise through the junior formulas has been a whistle-stop tour of achievements and accolades en route to the pinnacle of motorsport.
After finishing 3rd in Italian F4 and winning the prestigious Macau F4 race in 2023, Lindblad announced himself to the F1 paddock during his rookie Formula 3 campaign in 2024.
He shattered records, becoming the youngest winner in F3 history at just 16 years old with a victory in the Bahrain Sprint.
However, it was at Silverstone during the 2024 British Grand Prix weekend that he truly cemented his status as a future star. In a historic performance, Arvid achieved the first-ever F3 double victory, sweeping both the Sprint and Feature race wins on home soil.
He finished that season as the highest-scoring rookie with four victories to his name, helping Prema secure the Teams’ Championship in the process.
His momentum didn't slow in 2025 either. After being crowned the Formula Regional Oceania Champion early in the year, he stepped up to Formula 2 and immediately proved his pace, becoming the youngest winner in F2 history at 17 years old in Saudi Arabia and the youngest pole-sitter in Spain.
His development was fast-tracked even further with F1 practice sessions for Red Bull at Silverstone and Mexico City.
A special place
Silverstone has always played a pivotal role in Arvid’s career, not just as the site of his record-breaking F3 double, but as a venue close to his heart.
Speaking to Silverstone in 2024, just prior to his historic double win, Arvid highlighted the unique atmosphere that sets the British Grand Prix apart:
“There aren’t really many fans for F3 at other circuits, but Silverstone is the one track I’ve heard that there are people at 8:30 in the morning who do come and watch,” he told us. “Seeing some British flags will be a super cool moment; maybe some people get a bit nervous or feel the pressure from it, but I love the buzz and the atmosphere so I can’t wait.”
Even then, the possibility of achieving his dream seemed tangible. “Racing on F1 weekends is so cool. The biggest thing is the realisation that I’m not that far away [from F1] anymore.”
Two years on, that realisation has become reality.
Hadjar makes the step up
The news of Lindblad’s promotion is a knock-on effect from Isack Hadjar’s move to the full-fat Red Bull team, partnering four-time F1 Champion Max Verstappen.
Hadjar earned his seat through consistently strong performances, most notably his podium at Zandvoort, proving he is ready to take on the unenviable challenge of racing alongside the Dutchman.
With Hadjar, Linblad and his Racing Bulls team-mate Liam Lawson now confirmed, the 2026 F1 grid is complete for what promises to be a spectacular season.
READ MORE: F1 2026 driver line-ups
Looking further ahead
When asked about his ultimate career goal back in 2024, Arvid’s answer was simple: “Be a Formula 1 World Champion. Ideally more than once.”
With a seat confirmed and a record-breaking junior career behind him, the journey toward that goal starts a new chapter in 2026.
