Arvid Lindblad currently sits in third place overall in the Formula 2 Championship in only his rookie season. Coming off the back of a Feature Race win in Spain, he’s become one of the main talking points from the year so far. EverythingF1 looks into how the Red Bull Junior Driver is approaching the rest of the season as he works his way towards Formula 1.
Formula 3 to Formula 2
Arvid Lindblad raced for PREMA Racing in Formula 3 last year. He finished in P4 overall with four wins and a further podium to his name. Success like this doesn’t guarantee a smooth transition into Formula 2 however. This was a concern for Lindblad as he entered his rookie Formula 2 Season.
“I knew it was going to be a big challenge just because I’m quite inexperienced and it’s another big step up. I’d say the things that stood out the most were the expected new things, you know, with the two compounds, having to deal with that in both the feature race but also sort of between FP and quali, having a step there, which was new.” – Arvid Lindblad
But from the outside at least, it looks as if Lindblad has taken to Formula 2 like a duck to water. He’s scored points in every race bar the opening Sprint Race in Australia for example. He’s also won both a Sprint Race and a Feature Race. On top of that, he has a Pole Position and a Fastest Lap award to his name to boot. Like a duck gracefully crossing a lake though, it’s not always easy to see how fast its legs are working beneath the water. The same is true for Lindblad and his approach to taking on the new challenges that Formula 2 has presented so far.
PREMA to Campos Racing
Switching from Formula 3 to Formula 2 has also led to a change in teams for Arvid Lindblad. In the former, he raced for PREMA. Now he drives under the banner belonging to Campos Racing. A move like this can have unforeseen disrupting consequences as the acclimatisation process unfolds.
But Campos is a team that is not used to winning as much as an outfit like PREMA is. Lindblad therefore has found a kinship with his new team that enables them to work well together.
“They’re extremely motivated and hungry to win and always trying to find more performance. And I think that’s that’s what I’m like as well.” – Arvid Lindblad
From the results that we’ve witnessed so far, it’s fair to comment that the duo are getting along well. But that doesn’t come easily and there’s surely hours and hours of hard work that have gone into achieving this, both on and off track.
Qualifying
It’s not just a matter of driving fast in Formula 2. As everyone knows, there are a plethora of other elements that come into play across a race weekend that can impact its outcome. One of the crucial ones is qualifying. While he has improved over the opening stint of the season so far, this was a big weakness for Lindblad upon arriving in the series.
“Then there’s also just the pit stops and the whole strategy…those are sort of the things that were the newest and took a bit of time to get used to. I’m still working on them and I can still be better at it, but those are sort of the biggest challenges at the moment.” – Arvid Lindblad
In Australia, he qualified in P16. Then in Bahrain, he qualified in P14. Lindblad was able to drive into the points in two of the three races from these rounds but made his job of acquiring them more difficult thanks to his qualifying performances. We then saw a glimmer of a turn around in Jeddah. Lindblad qualified in a respectable fifth. He then went on to claim his first win of the year there in the Sprint Race.
In Imola, he qualified in sixth and then in Monaco, started from P4. It appeared that the Campos Driver’s weakness had been solved. This point was re-enforced in Spain when the Red Bull Junior driver claimed his first Pole Position of the year. Lindblad went on to win the Feature Race and closed the gap to P1 overall to less than ten points.
Looking Ahead
With such a strong start to his rookie campaign, Arvid Lindblad hopes that not only will that form continue, but improve as we enter the second third of the 2025 season.
“I think we’ve been improving well across the last few rounds. I’m hoping that that’s all going to keep going and we’re going to have a really strong next block. That’s definitely the goal.” – Arvid Lindblad
If scoring points in all but one race so far is an example of Lindblad not having realised his full potential in Formula 2 yet, then we’re in for a heck of show from the British Swede as we head to Austria and beyond.
“I’m very optimistic going into next week, the race. Because yeah, I think we’ve got good momentum at the moment. I’m feeling really comfortable with the team and the car.” – Arvid Lindblad
Arvid Lindblad in Formula 1?
There have been a lot of conversations recently about Arvid Lindblad making the step up into Formula 1. This came off the back of Max Verstappen’s precarious super licence situation after his collision with George Russell in Barcelona. Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, it was then confirmed that the FIA had given Red Bull and Lindblad an exemption to be awarded a super licence, fuelling speculation further.
“I’m very, sort of thankful and very proud to be awarded the super licence and to have the opportunity to participate in Formula 1 sessions, whether that will happen or not, I don’t know. You need to talk to Red Bull about that!” – Arvid Lindblad
Max Verstappen has not received a Grand Prix ban by accumulating any more points on his own super licence though. So the need to call Lindblad up prematurely has not been necessary. It wouldn’t be at all surprising though to see Lindblad make a Formula 1 debut in an FP1 session or two later in the season. Austria, as Red Bull’s home race, makes sense for this. Silverstone, as Lindblad’s home turf is also a likely contender. Austin and Abu Dhabi are the last two obvious locations for Lindblad to drive for either Red Bull or Racing Bulls. Both have seen numerous reserve and test drivers take over from the permanent drivers in seasons gone by.
“All I’m focused on is trying to do a good job in F2 this year and keep having some good races. And that’s what’s going to give me the best opportunity to be in Formula 1 next year.” – Arvid Lindblad
But Lindblad is just focusing on what is in front of him for the time being. Championship glory is far from guaranteed. Two thirds of the season remain. But his clam and methodical approach to the season so far have served him well. There’s no reason to suspect that they won’t continue to as 2025 unfolds. Crucially too, even if Lindblad does all he needs to, there needs to be a seat available in Formula 1. As is always the case in racing, timing is essential.
Formula 2 Returns June 27th for Round 7 in Spielberg, Austria.
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Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
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