Arvid Lindblad: Britain's youngest ever F1 driver on his Indian and Swedish heritage and reaching F1 aged 18

arvid lindblad, 18, is on the brink of his Formula 1 debut and is completing preparations with his Racing Bulls team in Bahrain. He learned of his promotion to F1 at the Qatar Grand Prix while competing in the penultimate round of the Formula 2 championship and describes the moment with his father as "a very special moment to share together. "

Arvid Lindblad in Bahrain

On a beach in Bahrain, with a Gulf mist obscuring the still-rising sun, Lindblad sat a five-minute drive from the circuit where he and his Racing Bulls team were finishing their pre-season work ahead of his grand prix debut in Australia at the beginning of March. The 18-year-old, polite but wary, said: "Since becoming a Formula 1 driver… the best thing was just becoming a Formula 1 driver. " When asked whether he still has to pinch himself, he paused and said, "A little bit. "

Red Bull promotion and Qatar

He learned about Red Bull's decision to promote him to their second team at last year's Qatar Grand Prix while he was competing in the penultimate round of the Formula 2 championship. The news was broken by Red Bull's former motorsport adviser Helmut Marko, the veteran former F1 driver who had taken Lindblad into the company's driver programme at the age of 13 as a promising go-karter. Lindblad said: "This is something I've been doing with my dad. I got the news in Qatar when I was with him, so obviously that was a very special moment to share together. "

Mentor Oliver Rowland's role

Lindblad credited a small group of people and the driver programme for his rise. He said: “I mean, for starters, the Red Bull programme in itself has been a massive part of why I’m here today and I’m extremely grateful to them. ” He added: “I was signed when I was 13 by Helmut and, yeah, it’s played a massive role in my career. I was signed in sort of the middle of my karting journey, so I did a bit of karting and all of the single-seater ladder with Red Bull.

“And they really taught me a lot. It’s a big part, thanks to Helmut and Rocky (Guillaume Rocquellin, former Red Bull engineer and Marko’s replacement) especially, that I was able to make the steps that I did. And then also, obviously Helmut as well, for having this opportunity now.

“I’d say the only other person that I would, sort of, has played a massive role in helping is Oliver Rowland. I’ve known him since I was seven and it’s a big part, both thanks to him and Red Bull, that I’m here today. ”

Rowland, described as the reigning Formula E World Champion and a Yorkshireman, first spotted Lindblad as a child and has remained a presence in his career. Lindblad said: “Ollie’s helped me develop as a person and as a driver. I mean, I’ve known him since I was seven, and he’s helped massively for me to be where I am today. ” He added: “I mean, we started a karting team together. I’ve been in contact with him basically every time I was on the track. And then in F3 and F2, he was coming to a lot of the races.

“It’s hard for me to describe our relationship in anything other than family. I mean, for sure he helps me on the driving side, but it’s about everything as well. It’s more of a mental role as well, from everything in his experience, sometimes on a mental side or an approach point of view.

“So, yeah, I’m extremely grateful to him and I’m really thankful that he’s also been wanting to help me. I mean, there’s been a lot that I’ve learned from him, but it’s also really nice that we’ve got along well and he’s taken the time out of his busy schedule. I mean, he’s competing in Formula E, he’s the current World Champion, and he’s coming to a lot of the events to help me out. So, I’m very grateful to him for that. ”

Observers note Lindblad was even spotted in Rowland’s Nissan garage at the recent Jeddah E-Prix and spent time with Rowland’s daughter Harper in the paddock, reinforcing the "family" dynamic Lindblad describes.

Family history and heritage

Lindblad, who is described as British-Swede, said he is the first Briton with Indian heritage to race at the highest level of the sport. His father, Stefan, is Swedish, and his mother, Anita, is of Indian descent. He spoke about how the partition of India in 1947 shaped his family: "My Nani, my grandmother, is Sikh, grandfather's Hindu, " Lindblad said. "And when they were five, they were involved in the partition. "

He continued: "They were in the part of Punjab that is now Pakistan, and they had to leave. They came from quite well-off backgrounds, but then they lost everything. So then they had to work very hard their whole life to recreate a life for themselves. Then they moved to the UK in their late 20s, early 30s, as doctors. " He called the mix of backgrounds "quite a rare combination, but I'm very proud of my heritage. All three parts have really shaped me to who I am today" and said: "I've been very exposed to all three. Even though my grandparents moved to the UK when they had my mum, they're still very traditional Indians. I've been exposed to a lot of their cultures and rituals, the food, the prayer, all that sort of stuff, from an early age, as well as the Swedish. It's really shaped who I am today. "

A photo from the Autosport Awards in 2023 shows Arvid Lindblad pictured with his dad, Stefan, and his mum, Anita.

Racing path and debut plans

arvid lindblad spent just one season in Formula 3 and one season in Formula 2 before being handed the chance to take the second Racing Bulls seat alongside Liam Lawson at the Faenza-based squad. He is due to become the fourth-youngest rookie of all time in that seat, which was vacated by Isack Hadjar, who moves to Red Bull. Lindblad is also the final driver enlisted by Helmut Marko to be promoted from the Red Bull junior ranks to F1.

He is one of five British F1 drivers on the grid this year — six if you count Alex Albon, who was born and raised in the UK but races under the Thai flag.

Language skills have not passed down the generations as effectively as culture, though, and some details about language in the family are unclear in the provided context.

Closing: Lindblad arrives in F1 at 18 after a rapid rise through karting, single-seaters and the Red Bull programme, backed by family, mentors and the unusual mix of Indian and Swedish heritage that he says has "really shaped who I am today. "