Red Bull junior Lindblad awaits clarity on F1 debut

Arvid Lindblad says he’s still in the dark about Red Bull’s next move regarding his path into Formula 1.

The 17-year-old F2 rookie was recently granted a special exemption by the FIA for a super license - allowing him to legally take part in official F1 sessions - despite not yet meeting the age threshold.

While the approval stirred rumours it was connected to a possible race ban for Max Verstappen, Lindblad clarified the process started long before that.

"The super license was requested in February," he told the Dutch publication Formule 1.

"So I think the timing was purely coincidental. I don't know what the plan would have been if something had happened with Max." According to Austria’s Krone Zeitung, Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko praised the young Briton-Swede and said the team now has two eligible reserve drivers again - with Lindblad joining Ayumu Iwasa, whose Super Formula duties often clash with the F1 calendar.

"Isack Hadjar is proof that our junior program works," Marko said. "Now with Lindblad, we once again have someone in-house who is very strong mentally."

While the license opens the door for potential Friday practice outings with Red Bull or its sister team Racing Bulls, Lindblad insists nothing has been promised.

"I am very grateful and proud to have the opportunity to participate in Formula 1 sessions," he said. "Whether that will actually happen, I do not know yet.

"I still have to talk to Red Bull about that. For now, I am just happy to have that opportunity at all. Red Bull probably knows more than I do.

"I was never involved in any of these conversations," he added.