Alan Permane shares his early impression of Arvid Lindblad as Red Bull prodigy is expected to make the jump to F1 in 2026 (Exclusive)

Alan Permane suggested that Red Bull junior talent Arvid Lindblad is a well-deserved candidate for a potential promotion. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda in Azerbaijan, the Racing Bulls team principal stressed that the outfit was in no rush to finalize its driver lineup for 2026.

Lindblad has been linked with a possible step up to Racing Bulls, with the 18-year-old sitting seventh in the F2 championship, a contest that has grown increasingly unpredictable in recent rounds. Within the team, the British driver is regarded highly, and his progress continues to strengthen his case for a promotion.

Permane recalled working with Lindblad earlier this year when he tested the team’s 2023 car, praising his ability and composure. He believed that Lindblad fully deserves his place in the Red Bull junior program and cautioned against unnecessary speculation surrounding Racing Bulls’ future lineup, making it clear that no deadline has been set for a decision.

When asked by Sportskeeda about his thoughts on Lindblad, who is speculated to be a potential promotion to the Racing Bulls team, Permane said:

“So firstly I don't know what will happen, I know that of course there's always lots of speculation about our drivers, there won't be a decision until later in the year, I don't even want to put an exact time on it, but certainly not in the next upcoming races.

"Yes I have worked with Arvid a little bit, he drove call our TPC car, (testing previous car) so our 2023 car, he's driven that a couple of times this year, he seems a bright, very capable young guy, who's having a decent season in F2, and he's a well deserved part of the Red Bull Junior Programme.”

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Alan Permane believes that Red Bull needs to prepare Arvid Lindblad as well as they can before F1 debut

Formula 2 Championship Red Bull- Round 12 Baku - Practice & Qualifying - Source: Getty

Alan Permane reckoned that Red Bull’s responsibility was to prepare Arvid Lindblad as thoroughly as possible before an eventual F1 debut. The Racing Bulls team principal explained that the youngster was being given extensive mileage in previous-generation cars through TPC testing, designed to replicate race weekend conditions. He added that the team deliberately places Lindblad in challenging scenarios to test his reactions under pressure, ensuring he is ready for the realities of Formula 1 when the opportunity arrives.

Asked how close Lindblad was to getting a drive in an F1 car in terms of preparation, Permane said:

“Well our job is to just prepare him as much as we can, in that running of what we call TPC. So we try and give them as much experience of difficult situations, we try and put them under a little bit of pressure honestly as well.

"We try and give them some tyres to say, right now you've got to do qualifying, now we're going to take some fuel out of the car, and then we try and say, actually now we're going to fill the car up, and you've got to do some long runs. So we try and simulate as much as we can, the different things they're going to find over a race weekend, and hopefully that gives them the best preparation, for when they're ready to step up to F1.”

Alongside Lindblad, Ayumu Iwasa also serves as a reserve driver for Racing Bulls. The British-born F2 rookie has shown an impressive debut season, despite setbacks. In Baku, he bounced back strongly after missing a free practice session, while in Monza, two separate incidents resulted in a costly crash that denied him valuable points.

Currently, Lindblad sits seventh in the F2 drivers’ standings with 109 points. With the top seven drivers closely matched, the championship order remains highly competitive and is expected to shift further as the season progresses.