A legendary F1 career began at an awards ceremony when a young Lewis Hamilton approached McLaren’s Ron Dennis and told him that he would drive for him in Formula 1 very soon. Fast forward to 2025, the Briton is a seven-time world champion and McLaren’s last driver’s champion.
This moment not only kickstarted Hamilton‘s own career into F1 but also inspired another aspiring F1 driver. While speaking to the Inside Line F1 podcast, Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad revealed how he was inspired by Hamilton to approach McLaren’s Lando Norris in 2022.
Lindblad explained that he had spotted Norris in the paddock and was instantly reminded of Hamilton’s first interaction with Dennis. “I thought why not!” And he approached the #4 driver and told him that he will be driving next to him in F1 in five years.
The 17-year-old will make his debut in the Formula 2 championship this season, and his exploits on track already are worthy enough to expect him to fulfill his prophecy. His debut season in F3 last year saw him finish fourth in the standings with PREMA — enough to earn him a seat in F2 with Campos Racing for 2025.
He is a 2023 Macau Grand Prix winner and has also been crowned as the champion of the Formula Regional Oceania Championship this year.
How far is Lindblad from making his F1 debut?
The British-Swede driving ace has been making a name for himself in the F1 paddock for quite some time. In fact, Will Buxton had predicted back in 2021 that the 17-year-old will be on the F1 grid this season. And while Buxton may have been slightly off with his predictions, the Red Bull academy driver seems to be on the right path for him to break in.
Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko seems to be in awe of his talents as well. “We are not looking for a new Max, we are looking for a new champion and the next one which looks really promising is Arvid Lindblad,” he told the Inside Line F1 podcast last year.
Helmut Marko was asked about the driver with the most potential for the future in the Red Bull Junior Team:
“We are not looking for a new Max, we are looking for a new champion and the next one which looks really promising is Arvid Lindblad.”
[@insidelinef1pod] pic.twitter.com/QaRCUfMIbU
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) December 16, 2024
Looking at the current roster of the Red Bull junior academy, Lindblad might be just one year away from making his debut. Yuki Tsunoda is touted to leave RB and Red Bull’s stable once Honda shifts to Aston Martin in 2026.
With a seat vacant at the Faenza-based team for 2026, the 17-year-old might just earn himself an F1 promotion if he can impress the team with a solid year in Formula 2 this season.
