F1 Australian Grand Prix: Arvid Lindblad is about to realize a lifelong dream

The 2025 Formula 1 season saw several fresh new faces on the grid.

When the year began at the Australian Grand Prix a year ago five rookies — Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, Jack Doohan at Alpine, Isack Hadjar at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, Gabriel Bortoleto at Sauber, and Oliver Bearman at Haas — were embarking on their first full seasons on the grid. They were not alone as a pair of supersubs (Liam Lawson at Red Bull and Franco Colapinto later in the year at Alpine to replace Doohan) joined them on the grid a year ago.

This year has just one rookie making the leap to F1.

And he is “excited” for his debut.

Arvid Lindblad earned a promotion to the senior circuit as a member of the Red Bull family, sliding into the spot alongside Lawson at VCARB. That seat opened up when the team promoted Hadjar to Red Bull, where he will drive alongside Max Verstappen this season.

Lindblad finished sixth in F2 a season ago with a trio of wins, including one in the feature race at the Spanish Grand Prix.

In VCARB’s media preview of the Australian Grand Prix, Lindblad opened up about the move to F1.

“I’m really excited to be in Australia for my debut in Formula One,” said the rookie driver. “Over the winter break, I’ve been training hard to be in the best shape possible; coming from F2, I think the main challenge was training my neck. We’ve been in the sim a lot which has helped me get up to speed before hitting the track. Having three different testing sessions was also really important this year, so I tried to get as much out of every lap to learn something new and get more comfortable with the car.

“The 2026 cars are obviously really different, I think the [power unit] is probably the biggest change and the feedback from the driver has a bigger influence than it did do previously.”

Lindblad is also coming off a Red Bull show run in India, which was a chance for him to celebrate his roots.

“Last weekend, I had the chance to drive at Red Bull Moto Jam in Delhi. It was a really special event, and honestly the best way to kick off the F1 season. It’s always nice when I go to India, and this time I really had the possibility to connect and thrill Indian fans, together with celebrating my Indian roots with my mum and grandparents,” said Lindblad.

Now it is time for the rookie driver to realize a dream in Melbourne.

I’m now fully focused and ready for Melbourne, which is one of my favourite cities in the world,“ said Lindblad. ”Albert Park is a really challenging circuit with high-speed corners and some heavy braking; it feels like you’re driving in a street circuit with the walls being so close. I drove here in F3 and F2 and it was exciting, so now I can’t wait to get to drive an F1 car at this iconic track.

“I’ve dreamt about this moment since I was a kid and it’s something I’ve been working towards my whole life, so the fact that it’s coming true is really special. I can’t wait to get started and I just wanted to thank everyone who has helped me settle in and feel as comfortable as possible so far!”