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Red Bull's junior driver Arvid Lindblad has been granted an F1 super license at just 17 years of age. Owing to his vast experience of racing in F2 and F3, FIA granted Lindblad an exemption from the minimum age eligibility required to apply for the super license.
In 2024, the FIA made an exception for young drivers below the age of 18 to apply for a super license, which is required to compete in Formula 1.
According to the sport's governing body, given a teenage driver proves outstanding ability and maturity in professional racing, he stands a chance to be exempted from the minimum age required (18) to be eligible to receive a super license.
Hence, Red Bull applied for Arvid Lindblad's super license under this exception. The 17-year-old will not turn 18 until August 8. However, his recent performances in junior series forced FIA to rethink.
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Lindblad finished P4 in F3 at the age of 16 and won the Formula Regional Oceania in 2025. Moreover, he became the youngest driver to win an F2 feature race when he finished P1 in Barcelona while racing for Campos Racing. Not only that, Lindblad is P3 in the F2 championship standings.
After carefully assessing everything, the FIA has granted a super license to Arvid Lindblad, meaning he can compete in Formula 1 even before he turns 18 in the month of August.
“The FIA has received a request to grant a Super License to Arvid Lindblad prior to his 18th birthday. After considering the information presented in support of this request, the World Council found that the driver has recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition and therefore approved the request," FIA explained in a statement (via racer.com).
Lindblad is one of the most exciting emerging talents, and the Bulls have strengthened their junior arsenal to look for a better future.
Johnny Herbert believes Red Bull's Arvid Lindblad can match Max Verstappen
Red Bull has been struggling to find a consistent driver for their second seat who can match four-time world champion Max Verstappen without any mental pressure. In the last many years, the team roped in quality drivers like Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez, and Liam Lawson.
However, no driver was seen as a long-term option in the team's eyes. Currently, Yuki Tsunoda is competing for Red Bull, but his performance hasn't been anything extraordinary.
Meanwhile, former F1 driver Johnny Herbert believes 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad can match Verstappen's level of racing. Talking to Yaysweepstakes, Herbert said:
"There is a certain guy who won the Formula 2 main race in Spain over the weekend. A guy from Red Bull, and he has climbed up very quickly. That is Lindblad. Arvid has a good view of what he wants, and he wants to compete in Formula 1."
"He is the perfect candidate to replace Tsunoda. Is there anyone who could possibly be better than Verstappen? Yes. Could Lindblad be that? Definitely, but the real test comes when you have the seat with Max on the other side of the garage."
Max Verstappen has 11 penalty points on his super license. One more point could get him banned for a race. In case he gets a race ban in the future, Lindblad is viewed as a temporary replacement, especially now that he has a super license to compete in F1.
