What will the Super Licence change for Arvid Lindblad in the short term?

A threat hangs over Max VerstappenWith eleven penalty points out of the twelve allowed, the Dutchman is dangerously close to the limits of his Super Licence. If he commits another offence at the next two Grands Prix, in Canada and then Austria, the four-time world champion risks a race suspension.

Such a sanction, experienced last year by Kevin Magnussen in Azerbaijan, would deprive Red Bull of its leader, who has scored 137 of the team's 144 points this season. Red Bull has already announced that in the event of Verstappen's absence, his place will be given to the Japanese Ayumu Iwasa, the team's reserve driver who has already appeared in free practice.

But this scenario could be called into question. Red Bull could prefer Arvid Lindblad. The 17-year-old Briton has just obtained his Super Licence, the essential permit for driving in Formula 1, following a request from Red Bull. The team led by Christian Horner considered that the young driver, born in Virginia Water, showed sufficient maturity to obtain this document, initially reserved for those over 18.

Since last year, the FIA ​​has relaxed its rules to allow minor drivers to obtain a Super Licence if they are judged "to have recently and consistently demonstrated exceptional ability and maturity in competition for Formula One cars." car ", according to article 13.1.2 of Annex L of the International Sporting Code.

This change was intended for Kimi Antonelli, whose F1 debut could have come before he came of age. In the end, the Italian waited until he was 18 to become the third youngest driver in history behind Verstappen and StrollBut it has opened a regulatory loophole into which Red Bull has rushed.

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Lindblad in F1 by the end of the season?

The Austrian team has therefore obtained a Super Licence for Lindblad, currently third in the championship Formula 2, with title ambitions for his first season in the F1 antechamber.

But will he still be in contention for the title in Abu Dhabi in December, hoping to succeed Gabriel Bortoleto? Not so sure. His Super Licence now allows him to drive in F1 immediately, and Red Bull could take the opportunity to accelerate the development of its young talent by placing him at Racing Bulls until the end of the season, replacing a disappointing Liam Lawson.

The New Zealander has compromised his future in the Red Bull fold: his short stint with the first team (2 races), then his unconvincing return to Faenza, where he is clearly dominated by a less experienced Isack Hadjar, play against him. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have rarely shown patience with drivers they no longer consider at Red Bull in the medium term. As Albon, Perez or Kvyat, Lawson could be permanently sidelined in favor of a talented youngster like Lindblad.

However, it is possible that the Milton Keynes board will prefer to wait until 2026, or at least 2025, to launch Lindblad. The initial plan was to run him in several free tests to give him experience, similar to whatHaas had set up with Oliver Bearman, involved in six sessions from the start of the season.

While the timing of the Super Licence award – just two months before his 2026th birthday – raises questions about Red Bull's short-term intentions, it could be just a head start on the road to 1. One thing seems increasingly certain: barring any reversal of fortune, Arvid Lindblad should be making his Formula XNUMX debut next season.