Punjabi-roots F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad: 'I want to do what's best for myself'

Highlights

• He was born in the UK to a Swedish father and a mother of Indian ancestry with Punjabi roots.
• His helmet carries the Union Jack, the Swedish flag and the Indian tricolour.
• He was granted his super-licence at 17 as an exception to the rules.
• A promotion to Red Bull looks off the table for 2027. Racing Bulls are expected to keep him.

ARVID LINDBLAD, the British teenager with Punjabi roots who is Formula One's only rookie this season, has made Max Verstappen his benchmark. He is clear, though, that he intends to reach the top his own way.

The 19-year-old, in his debut season with Racing Bulls, has scored points in nine of his last 10 races. That run has marked him out as one of the brightest prospects in Red Bull's young driver programme.

Speaking to Reuters at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last week, Lindblad said he hoped eventually to emulate the Dutch four-times world champion. He added that he would not simply copy Verstappen's career.

"In the end, we all have our own paths. So, I'm not going to say that because I like Max, I want to follow exactly what he did because I want to do what's best for myself," he said.

"I'm focused on myself, I'm learning and when I'm ready and the time comes, of course I want to step up to the top team and I want to achieve great things as he has. But I wouldn't put a timeline on it. I'm not in a rush."

Three flags on one helmet

Lindblad was born in the UK to a Swedish father and a mother of Indian ancestry with Punjabi roots. He races under a British licence. His helmet carries all three flags, the Union Jack, the Swedish flag and the Indian tricolour, as a nod to his multicultural heritage.

Arvid Lindblad with Haas' Oliver Bearman and Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix race REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov

He is proud of those roots and aware of the attention they bring. He said, however, that he wants to be ready before taking on the ambassador role.

"There's still so many things for me to learn, even things for me to learn about the world," he said.

"I know that as an athlete in a very global sport like F1, we have a platform and it's very important we use that for good things and we promote good values. I want to do that when the time is right and also when I've got the knowledge that I can do that in a good way."

A rapid rise

For a driver who says he is not in a hurry, Lindblad's climb has been fast.

Born in 2007, he began competitive karting in 2015. That was the same year Verstappen made his F1 debut, aged 17, with the Faenza-based team then known as Toro Rosso. Lindblad moved into single-seaters in 2022 in Formula Four, stepped up to F3 in 2024 and F2 in 2025, and reached Formula One this year.

He was granted a super-licence at 17. This was an exception to a rule that had originally been introduced in response to Verstappen's early debut.

His rookie season has not been without errors. He crashed in practice at Spain's new Madring track and at the Baku city circuit on consecutive weekends, and made contact with teammate Liam Lawson at a safety car restart in Azerbaijan.

He is still backing himself.

"I've obviously been very lucky to have a fast car," he said. "But also at the same time I'm going to give myself credit, you know? I'm a rookie. It's been a big step up this year, very new cars, very new engines, so a lot for me to learn, but I feel like I've been dealing with it well, learning every weekend."

What next

Verstappen moved up to the senior Red Bull team five races into his second season and won on his debut there. A similar move for Lindblad appears closed for now.

Last week, Red Bull announced a contract extension for Isack Hadjar, who finished on the podium in Baku. The deal keeps the Frenchman alongside Verstappen in 2027.

Racing Bulls have yet to confirm their line-up for next season but are expected to retain Lindblad.