The presence of his name had been a bit of a surprise. In a winter championship that the stars of the European promotional formulas ended up snubbing in favor of the Regional Formula contested in the Middle East (FRMEC), Red Bull has decided to send its nugget Arvid Lindblad to New Zealand to compete in the Oceania Regional Formula, organized entirely in the land of the kiwis.
Fourth in FIA F3 At just 16 years old in 2024 and the author of the greatest number of victories during the season, the one who has Indian origins is clearly the next on the list after the promotion of Isack Hadjar to Racing Bulls for 2025. Announced in place of the Frenchman at Campos Racing in Formula 2, Arvid could, according to our information, take part in eight free practice sessions in F1 this year, in order to be best prepared in the event of being appointed to the position in 2026.
Arvid Lindblad, first leader of the championship
A young man in a hurry, Arvid Lindblad is therefore in search of the (very) generous eighteen FIA superlicence points promised to the championship winner. Red Bull prefers not to take any risks. Tactically, the move is well played given the relative competition if we compare it with the general level of the competition taking place in the Middle East.
Engaged within the M2 Competition team, title holder for the last six editions (including when the championship was still called Toyota Racing Series), Lindblad crosses swords with Josh Pierson (seen on the side of WEC and IMSA and entered in IndyNXT), Will Brown (Supercars champion), Matias Zagazeta (British F4 vice-champion in 2021 but without reference since) or even Tommy Smith and Michael Shin, seen at the back of the FIA F3 grid recently.
Nothing too scary for a driver of the Briton's caliber. In Taupo, for the first of the five rounds in the championship, Arvid Lindblad had a fairly studious start. After qualifying 4th, he finished the first race of the weekend won by Zack Scoular in 3rd place, before making a nice comeback on the reverse grid and also securing a podium (3rd). On pole by less than a tenth during the second qualifying session, he managed to maintain his advantage in the race. "It's a big step forward. I think we can still take one more step, but I was much happier than yesterday," Lindblad said after his weekend.
Three podiums and a victory allow him to leave Taupo as the championship leader, with a five-point lead over Matias Zagazeta and ten over Zack Scoular. For the next round, scheduled for next weekend (18-19 January), the field will remain on the North Island of the country, and will move closer to Auckland since the meeting will take place at Hampton Downs. The ideal opportunity for Arvid Lindblad to get to safety as quickly as possible.
ALSO READ > Arvid Lindblad, portrait of an Englishman who wastes no time
Comment on this article! 0