Indian-Origin Arvid Lindblad Will Be Racing In F1 Next Year!
Arvid Lindblad will join Racing Bulls for the 2026 Formula 1 season, bringing Indian heritage to the grid through his maternal lineage. The 18-year-old British driver, born in Surrey, England, has a Swedish father and an Indian mother. His grandparents were born and raised in Punjab.
Indian roots and early life
Lindblad’s mother, Anita Ahuja, maintains close connections to Indian culture. The family visited India in December 2024, travelling to Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. During that trip, Lindblad spent time at the Buddh International Circuit, where he took part in filming, interviews and even some drifting.
He returned to India in February 2025 to visit Punjab and see the region where his grandparents grew up. Lindblad has spoken openly about his background, saying he was raised in the United Kingdom but very close to his grandparents and Indian culture, and that it remains an important part of his life.
His grandparents often brought homemade Indian food such as chapatis, rajma, chicken curry and aloo gobi to the karting track during his early racing years. These meals became a regular feature of race weekends and underlined how closely his family life and racing career were linked.
Lindblad started karting at the age of five at Daytona Sandown Park in Surrey. He won the British Cadet Championship in 2019 and caught the attention of Formula E driver Oliver Rowland, who became his mentor. At 13, he joined the Red Bull junior programme. He went on to win the WSK Super Master Series in 2020 and the WSK Euro Series in 2021.
Rapid rise through junior single-seaters
Lindblad moved into single seater racing in 2022, competing in Italian F4. In 2023 he won the Macau Formula 4 race and the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, adding two important titles to his record in a short span of time.
He stepped up to FIA Formula 3 in 2024 and made an immediate impact. Lindblad won the rookie award and the most impressive driver award at the FIA prize giving for that season. He also became the first driver in FIA F3 history to win all races in a single weekend at Silverstone, underlining his speed and consistency when everything came together.
Record-breaking Formula 2 season
For 2025, Lindblad graduated to Formula 2 with Campos Racing. In April he became the youngest ever F2 race winner at 17 years and 243 days by winning the sprint race in Saudi Arabia. He followed that with a feature race victory in Spain in June.
By the time his promotion to Formula 1 was confirmed, he was sixth in the F2 championship standings with four podiums, two wins and a pole position. These numbers helped make the case that he was ready for the next step.
Red Bull gave Lindblad his first opportunity in Formula 1 machinery in July 2025. The team obtained a special exemption to allow him to take part in Friday practice at the British Grand Prix despite being under 18. Later in the year he also drove in FP1 in Mexico City, finishing that session sixth fastest.
Senior Red Bull figures have described Lindblad as a driver with Formula 1 level ability and have highlighted his performances in junior categories as proof of his potential.
Step up to F1 with Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls will field Lindblad alongside Liam Lawson in 2026. Team principal Alan Permane has described the pairing as strong and dynamic, reflecting the team’s focus on developing young talent.
Lindblad has said that driving in Formula 1 has been his goal since he first started karting at five years old. He accepts that 2026 will be a big challenge and that there is a lot to learn, but says he is ready to work closely with the team and take on that responsibility.
Red Bull has a long history of promoting drivers from its junior ranks and using Racing Bulls as a proving ground before moving the best performers to the senior Red Bull team. Lindblad’s promotion, combined with his results in F3 and F2 and his Indian heritage through his mother’s side, makes his arrival on the grid in 2026 one to watch for fans in both Europe and India.